BJP made cash offer, say AAP MLAs

BJP dares AAP to reveal names of the individuals who had approached the quartet

AAP leaders during a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: PTI

A special session of the Delhi Assembly has been called on August 26 amid allegations by AAP that the BJP was trying to topple the Delhi government by trying to lure its MLAs with money.

Four AAP MLAs – Somnath Bharti, Sanjeev Jha, Kuldeep Kumar and Ajay Dutt – had at a press conference earlier in the day revealed that a sum of ₹20 crore was offered to them to join the BJP besides a bonus offering of ₹5 crore if they led more MLAs into switching camps. The MLAs, however, did not reveal the names of those who had approached them. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra questioned why AAP was “not revealing the names” of the individuals who had approached the quartet.

The AAP’s Political Affairs Committee met on Wednesday evening and passed a resolution condemning the BJP’s alleged efforts to topple the government by either luring MLAs with money or threatening to send investigation agencies behind them.

Describing how he was approached, Mr. Bharti said, “A senior national-level BJP leader happens to be my friend; the party top brass approached me through him. They put two options before me: either join us or we will teach you a lesson by sending ED and CBI just like we did with [Delhi Deputy CM] Manish Sisodia.”

“Govt. stable’

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to recreate in Delhi the same script he used in other States to topple governments and no proof was bigger than five sitting MLAs including the Deputy CM revealing how the BJP was attempting to poach them. “We want to assure the people that the AAP government in Delhi is stable. None of our MLAs is going to switch sides and join the BJP,” he said.

Hitting out at AAP, Mr. Patra said the Delhi government had ignored suggestions made by a committee on excise policy and was now diverting the issue. “It was suggested in that report that the government should keep the wholesale business with itself while the retail end should be given to individuals on the basis of a lottery system. Despite the suggestions, Mr. Sisodia handed over the wholesale business to private players,” said Mr. Patra.

He added that the AAP-led government had “bypassed rules” to give tenders to big companies “which gave huge amounts for the Punjab elections”.

Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary said both AAP and the BJP were complicit in shaping the excise policy that attempted to turn Delhi into a “liquor capital”. “Why is [Chief Minister Arvind] Kejriwal not sacking Sisodia when there are corruption charges against him?” he said.