New Delhi, 5 April

The Election Commission on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi, asking her to back with facts her statement that the BJP approached her to join the party.

The BJP moved the poll commission a day back against Atishi's "false statement" that the party had reached out to her through someone close and asked her to join it. The Election Commission notice to Atishi read, "...you are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from public forum by their leaders and in that sense the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse."

The poll panel said it expects that there must be a "factual foundation" to the statements made by the AAP leader. "...when the veracity of the statements made by you is contested then you must be able to back your statements by a factual basis," it added.

On 2 April, the AAP leader claimed that the BJP approached her to either join the party or be prepared to be nabbed by the Enforcement Directorate within a month. "I was approached by the BJP through a person very close to me who asked me to join the BJP to save and enhance my political career or I will be arrested within a month," she said at a press conference.

In its notice to the AAP leader, the poll authority told her that the matter was being examined in light of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and relevant electoral laws. The AAP leader has been asked to respond by Monday noon. "Now, therefore, you are hereby called upon to furnish your para-wise response to the matter...," the EC notice added.

The AAP leader was also reminded of a recent advisory on plummeting levels of political discourse that stated that parties and leaders will not make false statements or utterances without factual basis. The poll body also referred to a provision of the model code which states that criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion should be avoided.