Praveen Shankar Kapoor, the media head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi, has taken legal action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi government minister Atishi for alleged defamation.

This action follows their assertions that the BJP had allegedly sought Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members to defect by offering substantial sums ranging from ₹20–30 crores each.

The case was presented before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal, who has scheduled it for pre-summoning evidence on May 4th.

Kapoor contended that on each occasion the Enforcement Directorate (ED) approached AAP leaders, the response alleging BJP's attempts to lure AAP MLAs was reiterated. However, he emphasized that these accusations lack substantiation and that no evidence has been provided by AAP to support their claims. Kapoor suggested that these allegations serve as a distraction tactic from the ongoing Delhi excise policy case.

In his plea, Kapoor cited a tweet posted by Kejriwal on January 27, 2024, on X (Twitter), and a press conference held by Atishi on April 2, 2024. Kejriwal's tweet claimed that the BJP had approached 7 AAP MLAs, offering ₹25 crores each to entice them to defect, with the purported aim of destabilizing the Delhi government.

Kapoor further asserted that when Atishi's name emerged in connection with the excise policy case, she resorted to making similar allegations in order to divert attention from the "real issue" at hand.