India, Aug. 26 — Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal amped up the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over last Friday’s raids at the residence of his deputy Manish Sisodia, reiterating his party’s accusation that the raids were part of a continuing effort to topple the AAP government in Delhi and discourage AAP from contesting the Gujarat assembly elections.
Kejriwal said the effort will not succeed because AAP legislators, who were allegedly offered Rs.20 crore each to cross over the to BJP, have turned down the offer. “12 (MLAs) have so far come to me and reported defection attempts by the BJP. They are being threatened with fake cases and are being offered Rs.20 crore each,” the chief minister said on the first day of a special session of the Delhi assembly.
The BJP has been dismissive of the AAP claims, saying Delhi’s ruling party was indulging in “theatrics” to divert attention instead of responding to questions on the excise policy that is under investigation by CBI. “Why are its leaders not answering the questions raised by us over its excise policy,” Union minister Anurag Thakur said.
The AAP government decided to convene the assembly session against the backdrop of raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sisodia in connection with the Union territory’s now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy that led the AAP to renew accusations that the BJP was trying to bring down the AAP government in Delhi.
But the effort had failed, Kejriwal said. “I salute you that not one of you broke away. They want 40 MLAs and want to give Rs.800 crore,” he said, turning to the AAP legislators in the House.
It is a point Kejriwal said, he wanted to underline by bringing a trust vote in the assembly next week to demonstrate that all AAP MLAs are with the AAP government.
Since no AAP MLA defected, “BJP’s operation lotus became operation puddle in Delhi,” he said, saying the BJP had already toppled governments in Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh.
“They have bought 277 MLAs so far over the past some years. In Delhi, the rate was Rs.20 crore, in Maharastra the rate was Rs.50 crore..for which Rs.6,300 crore were spent to buy MLAs”.
“People elect the government and they topple them using a similar pattern. They are against the people,” Kejriwal said. “I have heard that the government in Jharkhand is going to be toppled next.”
Kejriwal, who is also the AAP chief, sought to link an increase in taxes collected by the Centre to funds needed by the BJP to fund defections and waive bank loans.
“In the next 10 days they will increase some taxes or fuel prices (to generate funds to buy MLAs),” Kejriwal said.
“Every person of this country is troubled over inflation. I know people who are cutting down on even essential expenses like vegetables due to high inflation. The prices have doubled. The money earned through GST, taxes on fuel, is going into buying MLAs, toppling governments and waiving bad loans by billionaire friends. All this money is being used to fulfil the lust of power of one person (PM Narendra Modi),” Kejriwal said.
“If we announce that we will not contest the Gujarat election, all cases will be withdrawn. The raids and cases are happening due to the AAP contesting the Gujarat election. Now the LG has ordered an inquiry into the construction of classrooms in Delhi,” the chief minister added,
Kejriwal questioned the BJP’s claim that the central government was fighting corruption, challenging the ruling party to start probes in Gujarat as well where it has been in power for decades.
“This is not a fight against corruption, it is a fight for one person’s lust for power. If you were fighting against corruption, then you would not have needed to ask the people of the country to support you,” he said.
Kejriwal challenged the Centre to investigate issues in Gujarat if the BJP was serious about corruption or the people responsible for a stretch of the Bundelkhand Express caving in after its formal opening.
“Get the paper leak issue investigated in Gujarat. BJP is the beneficiary of the issue. The drug cartel is spreading in Gujarat. If the BJP government has the courage, it should send CBI, ED to investigate it. Illicit liquor is sold by BJP people in Gujarat,” he said, adding that AAP legislators weren’t afraid of CBI and ED because they had done no wrong.
The AAP chief said his party wanted to focus on development and a lot needed to be done to “make India the world’s number one country”.
“Work is needed in the field of education, health, road construction, etc. for it. If you unleash CBI-ED against people who are doing all these works, how will the country progress ahead,” said Kejriwal.
Kejriwal insisted that there was no scam in the excise policy case and that the allegations of irregularities in its implementation are false.
“On false allegations, a CBI raid was conducted for 14 hours at the residence of Manish Sisodia. They scanned every place. They ripped open the cushions and searched other things as well but did not find even Re 25 unaccounted was found, no property documents no incriminating document was found. Not even the raid expenses were recovered,” Kejriwal said.
He said that the unsuccessful raid was followed by poaching attempts. “The next day a person carried a message from the top (BJP) to Sisodia and asked him to split the AAP. He was informed that under ‘operation lotus’ AAP government will be toppled and Sisodia will be made CM and the cases will be withdrawn. Sisodia refused the offer,” Kejriwal said, hailing Sisodia as the most popular education minister in the country.For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.comHT Digital streams Ltd.
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