Union Minister’s “No Vacancy” Jibe After Atishi Claims BJP Approached Her

New Delhi: 

The Bharatiya Janata Party “does not have any vacancy”, Union Minister Hardeep Puri said Tuesday evening, hours after Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi claimed she had been approached with an offer to jump ship and “save my political career”. “…they threatened that if I don’t switch (then) the Enforcement Directorate will arrest me”, the senior AAP leader said this morning.

Mr Puri hit back with a reference to the alleged liquor policy scam that has shaken the AAP and the opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the Lok Sabha election. “At a time when the entire AAP is embroiled in the liquor scam, we will not create trouble for ourselves by accepting her in our party,” he said.

“We do not have any vacancy for a political activist like Atishi…” Mr Puri said.The Urban Development Minister’s firm rejection came after Atishi said she had been tapped to swap the AAP for the BJP. She said she was told the saffron party had “made up its mind on crushing everyone (in the Aam Aadmi Party)”.