Aam Aadmi Party leaders address a press conference in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Express Photo Partha Paul)The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Tuesday took a jibe at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the arrest of its leaders in corruption cases. The party also said that it has plans to contest the next year’s panchayat polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state with an aim to expand its footprint in West Bengal.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, AAP’s West Bengal unit chief spokesperson Arnab Maitra said that instead of taking shelter in hospitals their leaders face the central probe agencies. “We welcome the Enforcement Directorate and CBI officials and face them for 14 hours in a stretch. Our leaders do not feel like taking shelter in hospitals. After facing the central agencies, our leaders do not shy away from facing the media,” Maitra said in a dig at the TMC leaders.
The party also announced to launch a campaign against the alleged corruption of the BJP government at the Centre.
He said, “We are happy over the ongoing probes by the central agencies against our leaders. Let these agencies investigate freely. The more they probe, our leaders will come out with a cleaner image. We will be able to go to the people with our heads held high.”
Subscriber Only Stories
The BJP, he alleged, had contacted 40 of the AAP MLAs and offered them Rs 20 crore each to switch sides. “We are here to point to the double standards of the BJP who claims to be against corruption but tries to buy MLAs of different parties to dislodge the state governments,” said Maitra.
Where was the BJP getting Rs 800 crore from, he asked.
“We will reach people at their doorsteps and will explain to them how the money from taxes are being used to buy power and ministers,” said Maitra.
AAP’s woman wing leader Tulika Adhikary said the party is trying to expand its footprint in West Bengal. “We hope to have a presence across the state by next year. We have plans to contest next year’s panchayat polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state,” she said.
Calling the probe against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia an attempt to undo his good work, Maitra said, “The CBI raided Sisodia’s house a day after his picture appeared on the front page of The New York Times. You can decide for yourselves if this was done in good faith or not.”
Susanta Bhattacharya, incharge of the state AAP’s legal cell, said the party is focusing on bringing about a change in politics instead of playing by the existing rules of the game.
—With PTI inputs