Atishi, a prominent figure in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been issued a defamation notice by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following her recent claim. She stated that she was given an ultimatum: either join the BJP or anticipate arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The allegation surfaced during a press conference where Atishi revealed that a close associate warned her about potential consequences unless she aligned with the BJP. Alongside this, she expressed apprehensions that herself and three other AAP leaders - Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, and Raghav Chadha - could also face arrest. Atishi further disclosed being forewarned about imminent ED raids on her and her family's residences.
Responding to these allegations, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva stated that a defamation notice had been dispatched to Atishi, demanding a public apology for her claims. Sachdeva emphasized the absence of evidence supporting Atishi's allegations and attributed them to the AAP's distress in Delhi. He asserted that the BJP would not permit such baseless accusations to go unchallenged.
This development emerged shortly after the ED's assertion that Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's Chief Minister, informed them of Vijay Nair's alleged association with Atishi and Saurabh, central figures in an alleged liquor scandal.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court granted bail to AAP's Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, in the Delhi liquor policy case on April 2. The Court criticized the investigative agency, highlighting the lack of evidence linking Singh to the alleged bribe of Rs. 2 crores, which will be further examined during the trial.
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