Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has said that BJP tried to get him defected
New Delhi:
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the BJP of trying to topple the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi by luring its MLAs to Rs 5 crore.
AAP promised “a big disclosure soon” after Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of dropping cases against him and making him the chief ministerial candidate if he switched sides.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Our MLAs were offered Rs 5 crore. We defeated the BJP’s attempt to topple our government.” There is video proof of BJP’s “Operation Lotus” in Delhi.
“Operation Lotus” is the opposition’s word for what it calls the BJP’s conspiracy to overthrow opposition governments by wooing its MLAs.
NDTV cannot verify the veracity of the video.
The AAP’s claim follows Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s allegation that the BJP tried to blame him with a proposal to drop the probe against him and make him the chief minister.
Mr. Bhardwaj said, “As soon as voters choose another party in the election, the BJP plans to exit. That plan is called Operation Lotus. We saw it in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra…”.
He said, ‘He told Manish ji that you come to BJP, we will make you the chief minister. They tried to topple Arvind Kejriwal’s government.
When asked to reveal who made the offer in the BJP, the AAP leader said: “Everything will come out at the right time. The party’s top leaders will decide when and how.”
The BJP has accused Mr Sisodia of making such claims to divert attention from the corruption allegations against him.
BJP leader Parvesh Verma said, “People want some answers from AAP on their liquor policy, which has caused huge losses.”
On the alleged BJP “offer” to Mr Sisodia, he said: “They ask their workers to call. Their claims cannot be taken seriously.”
After the CBI raid on Mr. Sisodia, AAP’s number two leader after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, there has been a continuous clash between the AAP and the BJP.
Both Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia are in Gujarat on a three-day visit ahead of the elections.
The CBI’s allegation that Mr. Sisodia’s liquor policy was steeped in corruption has been strongly denied by both he and his party.
Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenged the AAP leader to name the person who had allegedly made the offer to him.
Mr Kejriwal, who has strongly backed his deputy, says the BJP is targeting him because it cannot handle the global praise for Mr Sisodia’s education model in Delhi. The AAP chief also says that the BJP fears the rise of his party on the national stage.