Atishi asks ED to take action against BJP leaders for 'money laundering'

A day after getting a notice from the Election Commission, Delhi minister Atishi on Saturday, 6 April, asked the ED to take action against BJP leaders for alleged money laundering.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the senior AAP leader lashed out at the Election Commission, accusing the poll body of working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The notice was issued to Atishi by the EC over her claims that the BJP had approached her to either join the party or be prepared to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate within a month.

"On the basis of mere doubt, the ED arrested AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, and even the national convener of our party, Arvind Kejriwal ji, even though no money trail was found against them.

"What action has the ED taken against the BJP leaders where the investigation agency has been able to establish a money trail?" she asked.

The AAP had last month asked the ED to file a case against the BJP, alleging that the saffron party received crores of rupees from an accused in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam through electoral bonds.

The party also challenged the ED to file a case against the BJP, alleging that the money trail in the case had reached the saffron party.

During the press conference, Atishi accused the BJP of using the Election Commission, like other central agencies, to target the opposition.

"The BJP has been using agencies like the CBI, ED, and now the Election Commission to target AAP leaders and get them arrested. I want to tell the BJP that it should stop hiding behind these agencies and battle AAP in the elections," she said.

The case pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021–22, which was later scrapped.

In another press conference, AAP leader Jasmine Shah asked the ED to investigate the alleged relationship between the accused-turned-approvers in the case and the BJP.