Hours after Delhi's Lt Governor (LG), VK Saxena ordered a detailed probe into allegations made by Aam Aadmi Party that the Bharatiya Janata Party attempted to poach its MLAs through bribery, a team of the Anti-Corruption Bureau Friday reached the residence of Arvind Kejriwal at Ferozeshah Road in central Delhi.
The ACB will carry out the probe to ascertain the truth of the allegations by the AAP.
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X on February 6, accused the BJP of trying to lure his party’s candidates with an offer of Rs 15 crore each to switch sides. He referred to the BJP as "the party that engages in hurling verbal abuses" and alleged that 16 AAP leaders were approached with bribe offers. Senior AAP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, reiterated these claims.
The Delhi LG's order states: "It has been widely reported that the AAP has alleged that the BJP is offering bribes to its MLAs to quit the party. A representation was received from Delhi BJP stating that these allegations are false and baseless. The Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor has desired that this matter merits a thorough investigation through the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to establish the truth."
The BJP has categorically denied the allegations. Delhi BJP General Secretary Vishnu Mittal wrote to the LG demanding a formal investigation and registration of an FIR against AAP leaders.
Mittal said Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh's claims were politically motivated and were made to defame the BJP.
"Sh. Arvind Kejriwal and Sh. Sanjay Singh have raised serious allegations of corruption. The allegations are that seven AAP MLAs were given a phone call by BJP leaders to cross the floor with a deal of Rs 15 crore each. We request an FIR and a proper investigation into this," Mittal wrote in his letter to the LG.
The controversy comes in just when polling ended in Delhi, as the tension between the two parties is already quite high. The Delhi polls results would be declared on Saturday.
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