Arvind Kejriwal asserts that the BJP initiated ‘Operation Jhaadu’ to destroy AAP.

Swati Maliwal assault case: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, May 19, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has started ‘Operation Jhaadu’ to crush the Aam Aadmi Party since it is rising too fast.Jhaadu or broom is the party symbol of the AAP.

Addressing Aam Aadmi Party workers at the party office in New Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal also claimed the AAP’s bank accounts would be frozen after polls and “we will be brought on the roads, left without an office”. “The BJP has started ‘Operation Jhaadu’ so that we don’t grow big and become a challenge to them. Through ‘Operation Jhaadu’, AAP’s big leaders will be arrested; they are being arrested, and in the coming days, AAP’s bank accounts will be frozen,” said Arvind Kejriwal.

“ED’s lawyer has already given this statement in court that soon after the election, AAP’s bank accounts will be frozen. He said that if they freeze our account now, we will get sympathy. After the election, they will freeze our accounts, our office will be cleared out, and we will be brought to the streets. These are the three plans made by the BJP,” said Kejriwal.

The chief minister claimed that no gold or money has been recovered from him, and the BJP, by creating false cases, got AAP leaders arrested.

“Since I came to power in 2015, how many allegations did they (BJP) raise? Now that they say that the liquor policy scam has happened, people are asking them if the scam happened and where the money is. In other places, when raids happen, notes and gold are recovered, but here nothing was found. Where is all the money? They (BJP) made fake cases and arrested our people,” Arvind Kejriwal pointed out.

Arvind Kejriwal was speaking before AAP leaders, including MPs and MLAs, marched towards the BJP headquarters in New Delhi to protest the arrest of the Delhi CM’s aide Bibhav Kumar by the Delhi Police for allegedly assaulting Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on May 13. However, the Delhi Police stopped the AAP march as Section 144 was imposed in and around the BJP headquarters.

AAP protest outside BJP headquarters: Latest updates

The Delhi Police has tightened security in and around the BJP headquarters in view of a protest announced by Arvind Kejriwal there on Sunday. The Delhi Police also detained several AAP workers as they marched towards the BJP headquarters as part of a planned ‘Jail Bharo’ protest. DCP Delhi Central, Harsha Vardhan Mandava said, “Based on the information we received through social media and other channels, we have made preventive arrangements on DDU Marg to ensure that the law and order are maintained at all costs. We are focused and committed to making adequate security deployments and have barricades in place to ward off any attempt to disrupt law and order.” “Section 144 has been imposed on DDU Marg and there is no permission for any kind of protest here,” he told news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, elaborate security arrangements were made outside the BJP headquarters ahead of the AAP’s ‘Jail Bharo’ march. On Saturday, addressing a press conference, Arvind Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “playing the game” of sending AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh to jail. “They are after our party and sending our leaders in jail one after another… Today you have sent my PA (Bibhav Kumar) to jail,” Arvind Kejriwal said, adding the BJP is saying they will send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail too. “I along with my MLAs and MPs would go to the BJP office at noon tomorrow so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail,” Arvind Kejriwal said. The traffic police has also issued an advisory in view of the protest planned outside the BJP office at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, while entry and exit have been disallowed at the nearest ITO Metro station. In view of the proposed protest by a political party at DDU Marg Delhi, Traffic will remain heavy at DDU Marg, IP Marg, Minto Road and Vikas Marg. DDU Marg may be closed for traffic movement between 11 am to 2 pm. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly,” the traffic police in a post on X. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) closed ITO Metro Station, which is near the office, for entry and exit.