The AAP said on Friday that the BJP-led Centre was concerned about the party's partnership with the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections and was using the CBI to arrest Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, news agency PTI reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no immediate reply to the allegations. Addressing a press conference, Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that as soon as reports of the finalisation of seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) began to circulate, the ED issued a seventh summons to Kejriwal in the excise policy-related money laundering case.
"We have learnt from reliable sources that the CBI is planning to arrest Kejriwal. The CBI will also serve a notice to Kejriwal either this afternoon or by evening," he alleged.
He claimed that CM Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested within the next two to three days.
"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 the alliance will proceed," he was quoted as saying by PTI in its report.
At a press conference, AAP leader Dilip Pandey said: "BJP is now trying to put Arvind Kejriwal behind bars through CBI. As the alliance between Congress and AAP took a concrete shape, the BJP started attacking AAP... Even if they (BJP) are using ED and CBI as their political frontal organisations, AAP will not be afraid of them. We will democratically face them."
Speaking with media, AAP leader Gopal Rai said: "The BJP need no basis but whosoever will speak against, BJP will act against them... From Delhi to Punjab the way roads are changed into cantonments and are blocked, these things need no evidence... Whenever there is any step taken in Delhi by AAP that can create danger for the BJP, they act. The case is in the Supreme and the bail is not granted, even ED has moved to the lower courts themselves, but they also keep sending notices. It's the result of the alliance (INDIA alliance) that now they're trying to arrest through the CBI because ED is in court... Talks with Congress regarding alliance and seat-sharing are in the last stage, soon there will be an official statement."
Sandeep Pathak, an AAP Rajya Sabha MP, claimed that if Kejriwal is arrested, people will march to the streets.
"There will be a tsunami (of people). Their (BJP) political calculations will go wrong. We are not scared of being arrested. We are forging this alliance for the country," he added.