Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has said the BJP tried to get him to defect
New Delhi:
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the BJP of trying to lure its MLAs with Rs 5 crore and topple the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi.
AAP also promised a “big reveal soon” after Manish Sisodia alleged a BJP “offer” to drop cases against him and make him Chief Minister candidate if he switched sides.
“Our MLAs were offered Rs 5 crore. We defeated BJP’s attempt to topple our government,” said AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, screening what he said is video proof of BJP’s “Operation Lotus” in Delhi.
“Operation Lotus” is the opposition’s term for what it calls the BJP’s machinations to dislodge opposition governments by luring away their MLAs.
NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of the video.
The AAP claim follows Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s allegation that the BJP attempted to get him to defect with an offer to drop investigations against him and make him Chief Minister.
“The moment voters choose another party in elections, the BJP starts plotting its exit. That plan is called Operation Lotus. We saw it in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra…” said Mr Bharadwaj.
“They told Manish ji you come to BJP, we will make you Chief Minister. They tried to bring down Arvind Kejriwal’s government.”
When he was asked to disclose who in the BJP made the offer, the AAP leader said: “Everything will be revealed 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 deflect attention from corruption charges against him.
“The people would like some answers from AAP on their liquor policy, which caused huge losses,” said BJP leader Parvesh Verma.
On the alleged BJP “offer” to Mr Sisodia, he said: “They get their own workers to make phone calls. Their claims cannot be taken seriously.”
AAP and the BJP have been sparring non-stop since the CBI raids on Mr Sisodia, who is AAP’s number two leader after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Both Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia are in Gujarat for a three-day visit ahead of elections.
The CBI alleges that Mr Sisodia’s liquor policy was steeped in corruption, a charge that both he and his party have strongly denied.
Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenged the AAP leader to name the person who purportedly made him the offer.
Mr Kejriwal, who has firmly 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 the BJP fears his party’s rise in the national stage.
