The Aam Aadmi Party alleged on Friday, 23 February, that the BJP-led central government was making the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal due to fear of the party's alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls.
While addressing a press conference, Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj mentioned that two things are happening as reports of the finalisation of seat-sharing talks between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) start to emerge.
"One, the ED’s 7th notice to Arvind Kejriwal ji, and from our trusted sources, we are getting this information that now not only the ED but also the CBI is moving forward to arrest Arvind Kejriwal ji. We have information that a notice under CRPC 41A is ready for Arvind Kejriwal ji, which will be sent today afternoon or evening," said Bharadwaj.
"Our sources shared a timeline showing that in the coming 2 to 3 days, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji will be arrested," said Bharadwaj.
"We are getting messages that if the AAP-Congress alliance happens, Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested. The BJP is scared of the AAP-Congress alliance. You can arrest Kejriwal if you want, but Arvind Kejriwal and the Congress alliance will happen, and it will not stop," added Bharadwaj.
Sandeep Pathak, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, said that if Kejriwal was arrested, the people will take to the streets.
"The BJP has now redesigned their political strategies because, in many states, their political equations have been spoiled, so in this new political situation, they have brought the CBI forward, through which they want to arrest Arvind Kejriwal," said Pathak.
Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi mentioned that the ED has sent seven summons, but Kejriwal could not be arrested. "So, the BJP plans to use the CBI, which will first arrest Kejriwal before ED takes custody," she said while citing the incidents of other senior AAP members being arrested.
However, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva dismissed AAP's allegations as baseless and claimed that they reflected Kejriwal's frustration, while there was no immediate response from federal agencies, as reported by news agency PTI.
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