BJP planning to get me, 3 AAP leaders arrested: Atishi
What's the story
Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of threatening her and three other party leaders with arrest unless they switch to the saffron party.
"I have been told that soon there will be ED [Enforcement Directorate] raids at our residence...we will be taken into custody," she said.
According to the minister, the BJP is now "targeting" the next line of AAP leadership—Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, Raghav Chadha and herself.
Context
Why does this story matter?
This comes a day after the ED said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal named Atishi and Bharadwaj during an interrogation in the alleged excise policy scam.
On March 21, the ED arrested Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering probe into the now-scrapped policy.
The AAP and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance have raised protests over the timing of the arrest, accusing the BJP-led Centre of using federal agencies to cripple the opposition ahead of the general elections.
Atishi's statement
'BJP's strategy is to put every AAP leader in jail'
Talking about the alleged threats, Atishi said, "I have been told...either I can join the BJP and save my political career or get arrested in the next one month."
She also claimed that a close associate informed her that "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made up his mind to put every AAP leader in jail."
"Starting with Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, now they have arrested...Kejriwal. But now they want to arrest another four top leaders—me...Chadha...Pathak and...Bharadwaj," she added.
Atishi hits out at BJP
We are not scared, put us in jail: Atishi
Hitting out at the BJP, the Delhi minister said the saffron party thought the AAP would crumble after Kejriwal's arrest.
"They were surprised when opposition parties rallied together at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. So now they want to target the next line of leadership," Atishi said.
"I want to tell the BJP...we are not scared. Put all of us in jail...we will stand with...Kejriwal until our last breath. Put everyone in jail...10 others will take that place," she added.
Judicial remand
Kejriwal shifted to Tihar Jail
Meanwhile, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent Kejriwal to a 15-day judicial remand.
He has been shifted to the Tihar Jail till April 15.
Notably, this makes Kejriwal the fourth member of the AAP and the fifth opposition leader to be imprisoned in Tihar.
Kejriwal will reportedly be held in Tihar's Jail No 2. His former deputy Sisodia is detained in Jail No 1, while Jain and Singh are in Jail No 7 and Jail No 5 respectively.