A team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday served a notice on Delhi Finance and Education Minister Atishi in connection with the allegations that the BJP was trying to “buy” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs.

The Crime Branch team visited Atishi’s residence earlier in the day to serve the notice in response to the AAP”s claims that the BJP was trying to entice its MLAs with substantial financial offers as part of ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’.

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According to sources, Atishi instructed officials at her camp office to receive the notice in her absence.

On Saturday, the Delhi Police visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office to serve him the second notice on the allegations made by him against the BJP over allegedly luring AAP MLAs and destabilising his government.

The Crime Branch sleuths served the notice on CMO officials in the absence of Kejriwal and sought a reply from the AAP supremo within three days.

“The Crime Branch is conducting an inquiry based on a complaint received regarding your allegations that the BJP has offered Rs 25 crore to each sitting AAP MLA to persuade them to leave the party and join the BJP. These allegations were posted by you on X (formerly Twitter) on 27.01.2014,” reads the Crime Branch notice served on the Delhi Chief Minister.

The notice said that the said tweet implies that the Chief Minister is privy to specific information regarding the commission of a cognisable offence.

“Therefore, you are hereby requested to provide answers to the questionnaire enclosed herewith by 05.02.2024 to the office of the undersigned at Central Range, Crime Branch, Second Floor, Police Station Kamla Market Building, New Delhi,” reads the notice signed by ACP Pankaj Arora.

It further stated that any additional/supplementary information that you may wish to share or consider helpful for the inquiry can be submitted in writing. Alternatively, the undersigned can record such information on the specified date and venue mentioned above.

Atishi, earlier, claimed that the BJP approached several AAP MLAs with bribes and threats in a bid to get them on their side.

“The BJP has launched ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’ and is trying to topple the democratically elected AAP government in Delhi. As many as 7 MLAs of the AAP have been contacted by the BJP and have been told that Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested soon after which rift and disunity will consume the party. They are in touch with 21 of our MLAs and planning to use them in toppling our government. Those 7 MLAs have been offered Rs 25 crore each. They unleashed ‘Operation Lotus’ to come to power through the back door in states where they were not democratically elected. Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are examples,” the AAP leader said.

Atishi further claimed that the AAP had a purported audio clip of a conversation on ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’, adding that the party could bring it to the public domain, if necessary.

“As of now, 7 MLAs have been approached by the BJP. We have an audio clip of one such conversation and will release it if required,” Atishi said.

However, the BJP rejected the AAP’s claims of plotting ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’ to bring down its government in the national capital.

Meanwhile, following receipt of a summons from the Delhi Crime Branch on Saturday in connection with the poaching charge against the BJP, Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal accused the city police of engaging in a ‘drama’ at the behest of their ‘political masters’ instead of focusing on curbing the rising crime wave in the Capital.

On Friday, according to sources, the Crime Branch team not only visited Kejriwal’s residence but also went to the residence of AAP Minister Atishi to deliver a notice. However, the notices were not accepted at either location.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that the saffron party welcomes the initiation of an inquiry by the Crime Branch into AAP’s allegations of the BJP “luring” AAP MLAs.

The Delhi BJP had filed a complaint on January 30, stating that it has made no such offer to AAP MLAs, while demanding a police inquiry into Kejriwal’s allegations.

Sachdeva emphasised that since the Crime Branch has served a notice on Kejriwal, he should either submit evidence to support his allegations or be prepared to face criminal proceedings.