It was a day of high drama as Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal called an emergency meeting of all AAP MLAs, in which some MLAs were “uncontactable”.
The decision to call all AAP MLAs for a meeting with the CM was taken by the Political Affairs Committee, which is the highest and almighty decision-making body of AAP. In fact, the resolution passed in the PAC condemned the “misuse of the ED-CBI and the BJP’s attempts to buy out AAP MLAs”. A source present at the meeting said the decision was taken to retaliate aggressively and not to surrender: “Brick ka jaap patthar se denge (we will give a befitting reply)”. However, the BJP has termed it a ‘drama’ and a ‘diversionary trick’.
AAP MLAs were asked to come at 10.30 am. However, contrary to the apprehensions within the party, many of them had already begun to deceive. AAP MLA and spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj tweeted, “We will foil Operation Lotus, all our MLAs come today.” Outside the Chief Minister’s residence, Bhardwaj was seen contacting the MLAs over the phone and greeting them as soon as they arrived. Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey had a blast at the Chief Minister’s residence and alleged that forty AAP MLAs were trying to break up with a staggering offer of Rs 800 crore, i.e. Rs 20 crore for each MLA.
As the minutes passed, after 11 am it was confirmed that 52 AAP MLAs had reached the CM residence. Seven MLAs who were not in Delhi joined through videoconferencing, one MLA Satyendra Jain is in jail, while the other Amanatullah Khan was reaching the meeting place. With Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the number stood at 62.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj revealed that 12 AAP MLAs in the meeting said that the BJP has approached them. He also alleged that it was the BJP that had spread rumors of some AAP MLAs being “not contactable” by party leaders, and that the chief minister, out of concern, had called for a head count. He said the BJP’s lies were exposed by the presence of all the MLAs and ‘Operation Lotus’ was lost.
When asked about the evidence that AAP had to support his allegation, Bhardwaj argued that four MLAs – Sanjeev Jha, Kuldeep Kumar, Somnath Bharti and Ajay Dutt – had already said that BJP leaders had asked them to pay Rs 20 crore. Was approached with an offer of Rs. Divorced from AAP, and if they bring in more MLAs then Rs 25 crore. He said the testimony of an elected representative is counted as evidence in court.
Significantly, in a flashback to the old style of AAP’s politics, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his MLAs went to Rajghat to thwart BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’. Later speaking to the media at Rajghat, CM Kejriwal strongly defended his deputy Manish Sisodia and launched a scathing attack on the BJP for attempting to “topple the Delhi government”.
“They did not find corruption of even a rupee. They did not find unaccounted cash, benami land deeds or any objectionable documents. So, why did he do this?” They said.
The Delhi Chief Minister also alleged that the day after the raid, the BJP sent a message to Sisodia. He said, ‘You leave Arvind Kejriwal, break AAP and join us. We will topple the Kejriwal government and make you the chief minister. We will withdraw all CBI and ED cases.”
Kejriwal also said that he must have done some good in his past lives to get an ally like Manish Sisodia, who ignored the lure of being made CM along with relief in case of withdrawal of cases. AAP Convenor said that after Manish Sisodia, 40 MLAs of the party are also being targeted with offers of Rs 20 crore each, added that he would like to communicate to the people of Delhi that AAP even with public trust Won’t betray. If it means sacrificing one’s life.
Speaking of the “mahal” (environment) in the country, Kejriwal said the BJP has toppled governments in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Goa, and pointed to the developing situation in Jharkhand and past developments in Bihar.
After this the AAP chief launched a scathing attack on the BJP. “They are saying there is a ‘ghotala’ (corruption). In one of their meetings, they put up a poster shouting ‘Rs 1.5 lakh crore scam’. Delhi’s budget is just Rs 70,000 crore. What is a scam?” They said.
Kejriwal hit out at various figures of alleged corruption, as claimed by BJP leaders: from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 1,100 crore, Rs 144 crore mentioned in the lieutenant governor’s note and up to Rs 1 crore mentioned in the CBI FIR. “Yeh sab baccha hai (this is all rubbish),” he said, dismissing the allegations.
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Kejriwal had then said that the “scam” was “Operation Lotus”.
“Rs 20 crore is being offered to each MLA. They need 40 MLAs. He has kept Rs 800 crore ready to topple the government. Today the people of the country want to ask who is this 800 crore rupees? This is from GST, PM Cares, has been given by a friend? Whose money is this? Where have they kept the money to topple the Delhi government?” They said.
As AAP exhorts its leadership and cadre to ensure that its flock stays together, BJP’s Harish Khurana called it a “deviation strategy” and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that Delhi’s ruling party was “drama”. was involved in
There is a special session of the Delhi Assembly on Friday, where the AAP is expected to pass a resolution calling for misuse of central government agencies, such as the CBI, ED, IT, etc., to target opposition leaders and topple non-partisans. has been condemned. BJP governments.
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