Atishi says Kejriwal won’t resign; claims ED may arrest her, 3 AAP leaders if they don’t join BJP

New Delhi, April 2, 2024: Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Tuesday said she was approached to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and was threatened Enforcement Directorate would arrest her otherwise.

“BJP, through one of my close aides, approached me to join their party to save my political career. And, If I do not join the BJP, then in the coming one month, I will be arrested by ED,” Atishi told presspersons in Delhi. The Delhi minister charged after arresting senior leaders and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the BJP is targeting the next line of leaders in AAP.

Atishi alleged, “Four more AAP leaders – Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha will be arrested in two months. I am told that soon there will be ED raids at our residence and then we will be taken into custody.”

Atishi said the Enforcement Directorate mentioned Saurabh Bharadwaj’s and her name in Court based on a statement available with agencies for over a year. “Yesterday, the ED took Saurabh Bharadwaj’s and my name in the court, on the basis of a statement which has been available with ED and CBI for one-and-half years, this statement is in the charge-sheet of ED. This statement is also in the charge-sheets of CBI. So what was the reason for raising this statement? The reason for raising this statement was that now the BJP feels that despite Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain being in jail, the Aam Aadmi Party is still united and strong. Now they are planning to put the next line of leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party in jail,” ANI reported.

Atishi added Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, remanded in Tihar jail in a money laundering case, will not resign as he has not been convicted in the case. “There are two constitutional and legal provisions related to this in our country. Representation of the People Act says that if you have a conviction for more than two years, then you cannot remain a public representative. Arvind Kejriwal has not been convicted. Arvind Kejriwal enjoys the overwhelming majority of the Delhi Assembly, so there is no reason for Arvind Kejriwal to resign. If Arvind Kejriwal resigns today, then it will be a very simple and straightforward solution for the Bharatiya Janata Party to topple the opposition governments,” she said.