Blame-game begins in Delhi; AAP accuses BJP of threatening and luring councillors

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday accused BJP of attempting to poach AAP Councillors. Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh along with newly elected councillors claimed that the BJP is hatching a conspiracy to lure the AAP councillors.

"BJP has started threatening and luring AAP councillors in Delhi; these are elected councillors of AAP, it is impossible to buy them. BJP is shamelessly making claims of putting its Mayor in MCD despite falling short from majority by 30 seats. I demand the Police Commissioner of Delhi to arrest those who are involved in trading Councillors through money and threats. Does the Election Commissioner have no responsibility in this matter?" asked Singh.

Lashing out at BJP, Sanjay Singh further said, "BJP has become Bhartiya Khokha Party across the country because of its misdeeds. Despite getting 30 seats less than AAP in MCD elections and losing 80 seats as compared to previous elections, BJP has resorted to its dirty tactics."

"They used the tactics of trading MLAs in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa. Now, they have adopted the same formula in Delhi. They are offering gratification to MCD councillors and even threatening them. I have been saying this from day one that the BJP is such a shameless party that despite having 30 seats less than majority, they are saying Mayor will be from their party," he claimed.

"A person named Yogesh called Ward No. 88 Councillor Dr Runakshi Sharma and said that the BJP State President Adesh Gupta wants to talk to her. Adesh Gupta and BJP leaders mentioned about a budget of Rs 100 crore to trade councillors. This budget is only for 10 councillors which means that Bhartiya Khokha Party has allotted Rs 10 crore for every councillor," Sanjay Singh alleged.

AAP leader also demanded that the Election Commission should intervene in the matter. "People from different parties get elected, and does not the Election Commission have any responsibility to see that they are not threatened or lured to topple the government? The Government of India is currently being run by BJP and they will work as per their wishes," he said.

Meanwhile, Pintu Sharma, father of Ward No. 88 Councillor Dr Runakshi Sharma claimed, "We received a call the day before yesterday in the evening from Yogesh Chandriya. Ward No. 88 Patel Nagar was Adesh Gupta's constituency and my daughter defeated him in the elections. He said that he wanted to get 10 councillors and asked me to do it anyhow. I asked how is this possible? He said they can give Rs 2 crore to each councillor. I said it is too less. They pushed their bid to Rs 10 crore and asked me to get as many councillors as possible".

Another councillor from Ward No. 166 Pushp Vihar Arun Navariya also claimed that the incumbent councillor and his wife, who also was a councillor from BJP, are threatening his supporters of dire consequences.