Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal for alleging that BJP had offered seven AAP MLAs ₹25 crore, and a ticket to contest polls to switch sides. BJP rejected the claims as ‘false” and “baseless”. The saffron party also asked CM Kejriwal to provide evidence of his claim.
AAP leaders, including convener Arvind Kejriwal, alleged that seven MLAs of the party were offered ₹25 crore each and a BJP ticket to contest polls if they switched sides.
Following the allegations, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal should stop “lying” and dared him to tell the names of the MLAs who, the AAP chief has claimed, were contacted by the BJP.
“Kejriwal’s statement shows his political frustration. He said that the BJP wants to break off his party MLAs. This shows his mental bankruptcy and how much a party of 62 MLAs (out of 70 in Assembly) is frustrated after losing its political ground,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that Chief Minister Kejriwal has made “false allegations to defame the BJP”.
“He should provide proof of his statement otherwise he should resign from the post of chief minister,” Bidhuri said, adding that the BJP is consulting experts for legal action in this matter.
He also claimed that Arvind Kejriwal’s dream of becoming a major political leader in the country was disintegrating as the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was soaring after the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“The BJP is going to win 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls, so AAP is falsely accusing the BJP of poaching its MLAs,” he said.
The AAP leaders have also alleged that the BJP was conspiring to get Kejriwal arrested in a “fake” liquor scam case and topple his government by poaching AAP MLAs.
Sachdeva said, “People can see that Kejriwal needs an alliance for survival as his political ground has slipped ahead of Lok Sabha polls. So, he is making such absurd statements so that he can stay alive politically.”
Delhi BJP secretary Bansuri Swaraj called the claims “absurd” and said CM Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders including Delhi minister Atishi have lost all their discretion before their imminent fall.
“Kejriwal has now run out of excuses to avoid ED investigation in the liquor scam so he has started resorting to lies,” she charged.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has so far skipped four notices of the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged excise policy scam in his government.
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
