'BJP poaching AAP MLAs': Arvind Kejriwal govt calls special session of Delhi Assembly to expose 'Operation Lotus'

New Delhi: Amid allegations that the “BJP is poaching the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs” and trying to break the party, the Arvind Kejriwal government has called a special session of the Delhi Assembly on Friday (August 26). The special session of the Delhi assembly has been convened after a political slugfest over the CBI raid on Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case began between the BJP and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

The AAP has alleged that BJP was luring party MLAs to topple the Arvind Kejriwal government by unfair means. The letter by Delhi Assembly joint secretary said that the Deputy Speaker has directed the convening of the session on August 26.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also called a meeting of all the MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party at his residence on Thursday. The meeting is slated to be held around 11 am during which the party MLAs are likely to discuss the current political scenario, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raid against Sisodia over alleged corruption in the Delhi Excise Policy, which was withdrawn, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action on the party leaders.

A meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee of the party was held at Kejriwal`s residence on Wednesday, which condemned the BJP's efforts to "poach" its MLAs and asked the saffron party to tell the nation from where it has accumulated money to offer crores to legislators of other parties.

AAP की Political Affairs Committee की बैठक में BJP के ख़िलाफ़ प्रस्ताव पारित:

BJP असंवैधानिक और भ्रष्ट तरीक़े से दिल्ली की सरकार गिराने की कोशिश में है। हम इसकी कड़ी निंदा करते हैं।

PM Modi अपना ध्यान नेताओं के पीछे CBI-ED छोड़ने की बजाय जनता की समस्या दूर करने में लगाएं। pic.twitter.com/rYeSn5E2r5 — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) August 24, 2022

Speaking to the media after the meeting, which was presided by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, also the party's Rajya Sabha MP, said the PAC in its resolution also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spend time addressing the problems of the people instead of making efforts to topple the governments of other parties. "We want to assure the people that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi is stable. None of our MLAs is going to switch sides and join the BJP," Singh told reporters.

CM @ArvindKejriwal की अध्यक्षता में AAP PAC की बैठक में प्रस्ताव-

BJP, Delhi Govt गिराने की कोशिश में है। हम विश्वास दिलाते हैं कि सरकार स्थिर है

PM Modi, महंगाई-बेरोज़गारी पर ध्यान दें, सरकारें गिराने पर नहीं

MLA ख़रीदने के करोड़ों रुपए कहाँ से आ रहे हैं?

-MP @SanjayAzadSln pic.twitter.com/5osrJM9rdV — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) August 24, 2022

Later, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of allegedly offering Rs 20 crore to the AAP MLAs to "bring down" the Kejriwal-led government in the national capital.

"BJP offered to bring down Kejriwal`s government by luring AAP MLAs with Rs 20-20 crores... slogans of `50 Khokha-50 Khokha` were raised in Maharashtra Assembly, hence I would say to the BJP Band karo desh se dhokha, nahi chalega 50 khoka," Bharadwaj said addressing a press conference in Delhi. 

The BJP has been attacking the AAP government over alleged corruption following a CBI raid at the residence of Sisodia last week over the excise policy which was implemented in November last year and later withdrawn. AAP has termed the allegations politically motivated.