Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that the BJP, under its "Operation Lotus", has approached seven to 10 AAP legislators with offers of Rs 25 crore. (Express Photo/File)The Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab Tuesday accused the BJP of offering Rs 20-25 crore each to its MLAs in an attempt to topple the Bhagwant Mann government, a charge that the saffron party dubbed as “baseless” and “bundle of lies” and dared the ruling party to present proof to substantiate the allegations.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that the BJP, under its “Operation Lotus”, has approached seven to 10 AAP legislators with offers of Rs 25 crore.
“For last one week, they are trying to buy out our legislators. Seven to 10 MLAs have been directly or indirectly been contacted through their leaders and agents from Punjab and Delhi. They told our MLAs that their meeting will be arranged with ‘vadde baau ji’ and with big leaders in Delhi, and also offered them Rs 25 crore each,” Cheema said addressing a press conference here.
Cheema further alleged, “Our MLAs are being told that if they bring three-four MLAs (into BJP fold), they be offered Rs 75 crore.”
Without taking any names, Cheema said when one of the party MLAs asked how the BJP would topple the government of AAP which has 92 MLAs, he was told that they needed only 35 MLAs as they were in touch with legislators from other parties too.
In May, ahead of the bypolls to Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, BJP leader Rana Gurmit Sodhi had said that 21 AAP MLAs were in touch with him and ready jump ship.
Alleging that BJP “bought” some Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh and other states, Cheema said. “May be here also they are in touch with them”.
In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the Congress has 18 MLAs and the BJP two. The halfway mark to form government with simple majority is 59 seats.
Cheema alleged that the BJP has kept aside Rs 1,375 crore to break away a total of 55 MLAs, including 35 of AAP. “The BJP wants to spend Rs 1,375 crore in Punjab to topple the AAP government,” he alleged, adding that the BJP had earlier tried to topple the AAP government in Delhi with Rs 800 crore.
He said that the BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ worked in Karnataka, but failed in Delhi and will also not succeed in Punjab.
The press conference by Cheema comes at a time when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is away in Germany on a seven-day tour to seek investment for state.
Asked about names of MLAs who were approached, Cheema said, “Many MLAs have got calls. I have heard the recorded audio clips. We will tell you whether the audio is tampered or not. We will first get it investigated. It is being investigated at the party level and at other levels.”
The CBI and the ED were already after the AAP leaders in Punjab, he alleged.
When pointed out that the AAP government has police and intelligence under it and why it was waiting for action in the matter, Cheema said, “Our legal team will see at which forum legal action will be taken (in the matter). At this stage, we cannot disclose the names of MLAs. In the coming time, our MLAs will come forward and we will present proof and electronic records before the public”.
Terming the accusations as baseless and a bundle of lies, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said Cheema was leveling such allegations to “divert attention” as “AAP government has not been able to fulfill promises made to the people”.
Sharma said Mann-led dispensation had taken a loan of Rs 12000 crore on different interest rate slabs and was finding it difficult to run the government. “Employees of nearly all departments are protesting against the AAP government,” said Sharma.
Party’s state general secretary Jeevan Gupta said, “When people ask questions about the pre-poll promises, AAP tries to divert attention by making such false accusations.” BJP spokesperson Anil Sareen asked Cheema to immediately make public from where their MLAs received calls and who tried to lure them. He demanded that either Cheema should publicly declare phone numbers from where the calls were received or quit his post.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring ridiculed the allegations levelled by the AAP. “No doubt the BJP is quite capable of doing that and has a history of poaching opposition MLAs and destabilizing the governments, buying MLAs and stealing popular mandate. But in this case, the AAP appears to be trying to divert public attention from its own failures,” Warring said.
“Or maybe there is some revolt brewing within the AAP that MLAs are feeling restless and the party leadership is trying to pre-empt any such move,” he added