AAP calls political affairs committee meeting as leaders allege MLAs offered bribes by BJP
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has convened an emergency meeting of its Political Affairs Committee at 4 pm on Wednesday to discuss and formulate a strategy to counter efforts to “buy MLAs”.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said some of his MLAs have approached him alleging that they have been threatened and offered bribes to break the party. “Some MLAs have approached me and told me that they have been threatened, offered bribes to break the party. This is a very serious matter. We will have a political affairs committee meeting over the issue at 4 pm today to take stock of the situation,” he told reporters.
ये बेहद गंभीर मामला है। स्थिति का जायज़ा लेने के लिए और आगे की रणनीति बनाने के लिए आज शाम 4 बजे अपने निवास पर हमारी पार्टी की Political Affairs Committee की मीटिंग बुलाई है। https://t.co/E1Qu3o6xdt
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 24, 2022
Kejriwal’s statement comes days after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is facing a CBI probe in connection with alleged excise scam, had claimed that he was offered the Chief Ministerial post by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a withdrawal of all cases if he quit AAP.
In a tweet, Sisodia warned the BJP that the MLAs they are trying to poach are Kejriwal’s soldiers and “followers of Bhagat Singh”. “They will sacrifice their lives, but will never betray their own. CBI and ED threats are futile,” he wrote.
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
AAP’s national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the four of the party’s MLAs — Ajay Dutt, Sanjeev Jha, Somnath Bharati and Kuldeep — have been approached by leaders of the BJP with whom they have “friendly relations”. “They have been offered Rs 20 crore each if they join the party and Rs 25 crore if they bring other MLAs along with them,” Singh said.
Singh added that the MLAs have been threatened with CBI, ED raids and false cases if they do not switch sides. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making efforts to bring AAP legislators into the BJP-fold “by hook or crook” and topple the Kejriwal government in Delhi.
(With inputs from PTI)
