Atishi's imminent arrest to cash-for-votes plan: Kejriwal goes all out against BJP with series of charges

He claimed he had information through 'sources' that a meeting of CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department was held and they have received instructions from the top.

New Delhi: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday levelled a series of allegations against the ruling BJP, including “sources” informing about Delhi Chief Minister Atishi’s imminent arrest in a “fake” case to stop “free bus ride for women” and money being distributed in New Delhi constituency to vote for the saffron party's candidate.

Kejriwal also quoted “sources” to claim that the BJP is going to name former MP Pervesh Verma, whose name is doing the rounds as the candidate for New Delhi seat against Kejriwal, as its Chief Ministerial candidate. The AAP chief has won the New Delhi seat since 2013 and the party has declared him the candidate again in the upcoming polls.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya called the allegations baseless and claimed that Kejriwal has “lost his balance”, after two Delhi government departments issued public notices distancing themselves from the ruling AAP's schemes of providing Rs 2,100 to women and free treatment for the elderly.

Congress Treasurer Ajay Maken alleged that Kejriwal always makes such statements “to remain in the limelight” and he “drops a stone to create ripples in the pond”.

At a press conference, Kejriwal claimed he had information through “sources” that a meeting of CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department was held and they have received instructions from the top.

“I am making this statement with responsibility. The agencies have been told to register any fake case against Atishi and arrest her. Before that there will be raids at the premises of Atishi and other senior leaders of AAP,” he told a press conference.

He said that the BJP's attempt is to “distract” the AAP leadership from going ahead with its preparations for the Assembly elections. “They want to halt the scheme of free bus rides for women. I will not let the scheme of free bus rides for women stop till I am alive,” Kejriwal said.

In a post on 'X', he said voters are being given Rs 1100 each and asked them to vote for BJP. “Are you helping the needy or openly buying votes? Your father must be ashamed of a traitor son like you,” he said in apparent reference to Verma, whose father Sahib Singh Verma was former Delhi Chief Minister.

“According to sources, BJP is going to declare Pravesh Verma as its Chief Minister face. Will the people of Delhi want to make such a person their CM?” Kejriwal said in another post.

Malviya retorted, “Arvind Kejriwal, accused of liquor scam, is preaching about who will be the Chief Minister of BJP. What an irony? The man who was banned by the Supreme Court from entering the Delhi Secretariat, from commenting and signing government files, how can that Arvind Kejriwal now shamelessly remain in public life?”

Malviya also claimed that Kejriwal is “nervous due to the fear of defeat”. “The man who did not step into the New Delhi Assembly after becoming an MLA and Chief Minister for the third time, and left the people there yearning for basic amenities like clean water, is looking for an excuse for his defeat before the election announcement,” he added.

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP should seek votes on what they have done for Delhi in the past ten years as it is in power at the Centre and what it intends to do for the capital in the next five years.

Atishi said the BJP wants to stop the AAP as Kejriwal provided Delhiites with free power, free water and health facilities, but, on the other hand, the saffron party is only indulging in abusing him and not spelling out its agenda.

"They may arrest me but I have full faith in the judiciary and the truth will come out," she said.

As the Delhi government's Women and Child Development and Health departments issued public notices on Wednesday distancing themselves from the ruling AAP's promised schemes of providing Rs 2,100 to women and free treatment for the elderly, she said the Cabinet notification is in the public domain and the officers who issued the notices will face both administrative and police action.

In the notices, the two departments warned people against providing personal details to anyone on the pretext of registration for "non-existent" schemes. It also said any individual or party collecting such information is “fraudulent and without any authority”.

“These are Kejriwal's guarantees and under pressure from the BJP, these officers have issued these notices,” she said. Kejriwal said it is an AAP promise and its activists would get people registered for the scheme.