The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has offered Rs 25 crore each to seven of its MLAs in Delhi to quit the party while also threatening to topple the Kejriwal government.
The Delhi BJP, however, rubbished the allegation and challenged AAP to name the MLAs and the people who allegedly contacted them with the offer.
The AAP claimed that the recording of a person who contacted one of the party MLAs was available and which will be shown later.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted on 'X' that seven of his party MLAs had been contacted by 'them' and warned that the AAP convener would be arrested soon.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back saying, "This shows how much politically desperate Kejriwal has become. This unfounded allegation by him is an attempt to keep himself politically alive. The allegation that the BJP wants to break away MLAs of the ruling AAP, having 62 out of 70 MLAs in Delhi, shows his mental bankruptcy."
According to Kejriwal, the callers claimed they were in contact with 21 AAP MLAs.
The MLAs were allegedly promised Rs 25 crore and a BJP ticket each to contest the elections after the toppling of the Delhi government, the AAP leader charged.
Kejriwal added that all the seven AAP MLAs refused to quit the party.
He also claimed that attempts were being made to get him arrested in connection with the alleged liquor scam to bring down the AAP government in Delhi.
Several conspiracies were hatched in the past nine years to topple the AAP government in Delhi but they all failed, Kejriwal said.
"God and the people always supported us. This time also these people will fail in their nefarious intentions," he said.
In the long post on X, Kejriwal also said, "These people know our government has done so much work for the people of Delhi. Despite all the obstacles created by them, we have accomplished so much. The people of Delhi love AAP hugely. It is not in their power to defeat AAP in the elections. So they want to topple the government through the arrest on the pretext of a fake liquor scam."
At a press conference here, Delhi minister Atishi alleged that the BJP has launched 'Operation Lotus 2.0' in Delhi.
"They had made a similar attempt to poach AAP MLAs last year by offering them money but failed," she claimed.
She said similar conspiracies were hatched by the BJP in the past also. In 2022, they tried to break away AAP MLAs and get them join the BJP by promising them money, she added.
The Delhi minister charged that the BJP undertook 'Operation Lotus' in states where it failed to form its government.
Such operations were conducted in the past in states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa, she alleged.
Atishi claimed that the recording of one caller who contacted an AAP MLA is available and it will be brought into public domain at the right time.
Refuting the allegation, Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana challenged Atishi to name the MLAs contacted and also those who reached out to them with the offer.
He said AAP was trying to shift focus from Kejriwal skipping ED summons for questioning in the liquor scam.
