'Rattled by AAP in Gujarat, BJP running 'Operation Lotus': AAP on MLA Amanatullah Khan's arrest

New Delhi: The AAP on Saturday alleged that the arrest of its MLA Amanatullah Khan was part of the BJP's efforts to poach Arvind Kejriwal-led party's legislators and topple its government in Delhi under "Operation Lotus". The Aam Aadmi Party legislator from Okhla was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday in connection with alleged irregularities in Delhi Waqf Board recruitment, officials said. Khan is the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board. "Looks like they are suffering a lot in Gujarat," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi in an apparent attack on the BJP. He also anticipated the arrest of more MLAs of his party in the coming days.

पहले इन्होंने सत्येंद्र जैन को गिरफ़्तार किया। कोर्ट के बार बार पूछने पर भी ये कोई सबूत पेश नहीं कर पा रहे

फिर मनीष के घर रेड की, कुछ नहीं मिला

अब अमानतुल्लाह को गिरफ़्तार किया है, अभी और भी कई MLAs को गिरफ़्तार करेंगे

गुजरात में लगता है इन्हें तकलीफ़ बहुत ज़्यादा हो रही है https://t.co/oYYu8eMIAw — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 17, 2022

"First, they arrested (Delhi health minister) Satyendar Jain. They are not able to present any evidence despite the court repeatedly asking for it. Then, Manish's residence was raided, nothing was found there. Now, Amanatullah has been arrested. More MLAs will now be arrested," the AAP national convenor said in his tweet.

Reacting to Khan's arrest, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of continuing with its "Operation Lotus" to "break" AAP leaders away from the party. "First, they arrested Satyendar Jain but there is no evidence against him in court. They raided my residence. Nothing was found. Then they initiated a fake probe against Kailash Gahlot, and now they have arrested Amanatullah Khan. Operation Lotus continues to break each leader of AAP," Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi.

पहले इन्होंने सत्येंद्र जैन को गिरफ्तार किया, पर कोर्ट में उनके खिलाफ कोई सबूत नहीं है।

इन्होंने मेरे घर पर रेड डाली। कुछ नही मिला।

फिर कैलाश गहलोत के खिलाफ एक फर्जी जांच शुरू की, और अब अमानतुल्लाह खान को गिरफ्तार किया है।

AAP के हरेक नेता को तोड़ने के लिए ऑपरेशन लोटस जारी है https://t.co/XeLYYFz6VS — Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) September 17, 2022

Earlier, AAP leaders had alleged that the BJP was trying to poach party MLAs and offering Rs 20 crore each to topple the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi.
Kejriwal had brought a confidence motion in the Delhi Assembly last month to prove that all AAP MLAs were with him and assert that "Operation Lotus" had failed in the capital.

The AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj lashed out at the BJP over Khan's arrest and accused the Anti-Corruption Branch of "planting" misleading news in the media about the Waqf Board chairman at the behest of the saffron party.