Attempt to ‘buy’ our MLAs for Rs 20 crore: AAP

AAP’s nine-member Political Affairs Committee, the party’s highest decision making body, held a meeting Wednesday to discuss alleged offers and party’s strategy.

“A few days ago, CBI registered a false case against Manish Sisodia and his house was raided. The CBI did not find anything during the raid — no unaccounted money, jewellery or benami property. The next day BJP leaders reached out to Sisodia and told him that if he joins their party, all CBI and ED cases against him will be withdrawn. They told him that they will topple the AAP government and make him the Chief Minister… Now, our MLAs have been contacted and are being told that if they stay in AAP, cases will be filed against them and CBI will raid their houses. If they join BJP, they’ll be given Rs 20 crore,” said AAP Rajya Sabha MP and PAC member Sanjay Singh.

मुझे तोड़ने में फेल हो गए,तो अब AAP के अन्य विधायको को 20-20 करोड़ का ऑफर देकर, रेड का डर दिखाकर उन्हें तोड़ने की साजिश शुरू कर दी

BJP संभल जाए, ये @ArvindKejriwal जी के सिपाही है,भगत सिंह के अनुयायी है। जान दे देंगे पर गद्दारी नहीं करेंगे। इनके सामने आपकी ED CBI किसी काम की नही

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 24, 2022

“We want to tell the people that your government is stable and no one will leave AAP. We want to appeal to the PM to dedicate his time to solving people’s problems rather than trying to topple state governments. People are facing unemployment and inflation, but you are busy toppling state governments chosen by the people. The people also want to ask them where they are getting crores of rupees that are being used to buy MLAs,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal said MLAs were also being threatened by BJP leaders. “Some MLAs have been offered money, and have also been threatened with CBI and ED (cases). The excise policy investigation and CBI and ED raids will go on till the Gujarat Assembly elections,” he said.

BJP द्वारा Delhi Govt. गिराने की साजिश।
“AAP के बहुत से MLAs हमारे संपर्क में हैं और अगर तुम भी BJP में आ जाओ तो तुमको ₹ 20 Crore देंगे।”
मैंने मना किया तो धमकी दी कि
“फ़िर @msisodia को CBI के झूठे Case में फंसाया वैसे तुम्हें भी फंसा देंगे।”
मै डरने व बिकने वाला नहीं हू। pic.twitter.com/eJS11fjfOt

— Ajay Dutt (@AjayDutt48) August 24, 2022

According to AAP, 35 of its 62 MLAs have been approached by BJP leaders and asked to join the party to topple the government. Four MLAs – Malviya Nagar’s Somnath Bharti, Burari’s Sanjeev Jha, Ambedkar Nagar’s Ajay Dutt and Kondli’s Kuldeep Kumar – said Wednesday morning that they were contacted and told that they would be given “Rs 20 crore per head if they join and Rs 25 crore if they bring along another MLA with them”.

AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Besides the four MLAs, BJP has approached and is targeting 35 more AAP leaders with the offer of Rs 20 crore if they topple the AAP government… Rs 20 crore each will amount to Rs 700 crore for 35 persons… I want to ask the BJP the source of this money… This is the matter that should be investigated by CBI and ED, from where is this black money coming from, where are they hiding.”

Bharadwaj added, “This is not the first time, the BJP in 2014 tried to bribe AAP leaders and they caught BJP leaders red handed in a sting operation.” In 2014, when Kejriwal had stepped down as the CM and President’s rule was imposed in Delhi, three AAP MLAs — Ashok Kumar Chauhan, Dharmender Singh Koli and Prakash Jarwal – had left Delhi for Goa, allegedly because they had been offered money to join BJP so that it could form a government in the city. They, however, were contacted by the party on landing and were asked to return immediately.

BJP, meanwhile, said that AAP should give proof of these allegations but it was trying to take the spotlight away from the CBI’s allegations. BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said, “If this is true, why have they not revealed the names of the people who reached out to them? The main issue is that you have not followed the protocols set of liquor licensing and trade. Why did you hand over the wholesale business to private entities when a committee on the Excise Policy had recommended that it should be handled by the government? The committee had also recommended that the retail vend business should be given to individuals and not to company entities, but it was not followed.”