Ahead of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s emergency meeting called today, several AAP MLAs were unreachable, sources told news agency ANI.
However, later Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) confirmed that all expected MLAs scheduled to attend the meeting were present.
The AAP Political Affairs Committee (PAC) met at Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal’s residence this morning to formulate a strategy to counter alleged efforts by the saffron party to “buy MLAs”
According to the party sources, only 52 MLAs arrived for the meeting out of 62 legislators.
Confirming the same, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj had said, “We are unable to connect with some of the MLAs, but we are sure that later or sooner they will attend the meeting. “There may be traffic problems or others, but they are coming one by one,” he told the media.
However, dismissing the rumours, AAP leader Atishi assured that the MLAs will remain attached to the party. “We are absolutely certain that all AAP MLAs are with the party and will remain with the party. The Meeting (of party MLAs called by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) is scheduled to begin at 11 am. I expect all MLAs to arrive by then,” said Delhi AAP MLA Atishi.
The party has been accusing the BJP of luring its leaders in a bid to topple the AAP government in Delhi.
From last two days, AAP has been levelling allegations that Bharatiya Janata Party has been threatening and luring AAP MLAs to topple the Kejriwal-led government of Delhi.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was the first to inform about the same on Monday he alleged that he had received an offer by the Bharatiya Janata Party to split the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in what he claims was a quid pro quo as the CBI initiated a probe into the Delhi’s now withdrawn excise policy.
Soon after 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.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Bharadwaj had said, “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.”
The meeting was scheduled to be held at 11 am today in Delhi in which major discussions regarding the current political scenario and the raids of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the party leaders are likely to be deliberated.
BJP had declined any such offer being made to him.
The trail of events started with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raiding the residence of Sisodia last Friday, in connection with an alleged liquor scam in Delhi. The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case over the Delhi excise policy.
Sisodia was among the 15 people named in an FIR filed by the CBI. Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers with some unknown public servants and private persons have been booked in the case.
(With inputs from ANI)