The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to topple the Kejriwal government in Delhi. AAP ministers alleged that BJP offered ₹25 crore each to seven of its MLAs in Delhi to quit the party. The BJP has dismissed the allegations and challenged AAP to name the MLAs and provide details about the individuals who made the alleged offer.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted on social media that seven of his party MLAs had been contacted by individuals claiming to be associated with the BJP. According to Kejriwal, the callers asserted that they were in touch with 21 AAP MLAs and promised ₹25 crore and a BJP ticket to each MLA for contesting elections after the toppling of the Delhi government. Kejriwal warned that he would be arrested soon.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra responded to the allegations, accusing Kejriwal of lying and challenging him to provide details about the alleged contacts. Mishra argued that Kejriwal has a history of making false claims and avoiding accountability.
The AAP, led by Kejriwal, accused the BJP of initiating “Operation Lotus 2.0” to topple the democratically elected government in Delhi. Operation Lotus refers to a political strategy where a party attempts to engineer defections from other parties to secure a majority. AAP leaders claimed that the BJP was using unethical means to destabilize the Delhi government and offered financial incentives to AAP MLAs to switch sides.
According to Atishi, a prominent AAP member, the BJP was in touch with 21 AAP MLAs and aimed to use them to topple the government. She mentioned that the BJP has previously employed similar tactics, citing examples from other states where they allegedly orchestrated defections to come to power.
The AAP leaders emphasized that such attempts to destabilize the government have been ongoing for the past nine years but have failed. They accused the BJP of resorting to unethical practices to gain power in states where they were not democratically elected.
The political turmoil in Delhi highlights the intense competition and power struggles between political parties. Allegations of horse-trading and attempts to engineer defections are not uncommon in Indian politics. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how both the AAP and BJP will navigate the accusations and counterclaims, and whether there will be any concrete evidence provided to support or refute the allegations of attempted destabilization.