New Delhi, In a significant escalation of political tensions in India, four leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have come forward with allegations of intimidation by probe agencies, purportedly under orders from the Modi-led government. These AAP officials claim they were coerced to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or face arrest by the Enforcement Directorate within a month, highlighting a concerning use of state mechanisms to suppress opposition voices.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the allegations were made public by senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi during a press conference in New Delhi. Atishi disclosed that she, along with three other party leaders Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Durgesh Pathak, and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha were specifically targeted with threats of arrest and raids by the Enforcement Directorate. She recounted being approached by an individual associated with the BJP who warned her of impending legal action should she refuse to defect to the saffron party.

This purported campaign against AAP leadership unfolds in the aftermath of a successful rally by the INDIA bloc, which includes AAP, demonstrating the coalition’s resilience and unity. Atishi argued that these tactics by the BJP aimed to dismantle AAP’s leadership structure, revealing a strategy to weaken the party before the forthcoming elections.

This revelation comes at a time when Delhi Chief Minister and AAP’s leading figure, Arvind Kejriwal, faces legal challenges, having been arrested on March 21 in connection with an alleged money laundering case and subsequently placed in judicial custody until April 15. AAP has voiced concerns that these actions are part of a broader BJP strategy to impose President’s rule in Delhi by diminishing AAP’s legislative strength and destabilizing its governance.

The allegations mark a deepening crisis in Indian politics, where the use of federal probe agencies as tools for political coercion against opposition parties raises serious questions about the health of the country’s democratic institutions and the rule of law.