Questioning the silence of the Congress leadership over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) alleged poaching attempts in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Thursday, called the Congress ‘B-team’ of the BJP and said the party is clandestinely working for the saffron party to cliff off the progress and development of Punjab by all means.

Addressing a press conference here, senior AAP leader and Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Congress, which was the latest victim of BJP’s poaching bid in Goa yesterday, dared to question the AAP for proof rather than attacking the Narendra Modi Government for their wicked politics and toppling governments in various states.

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“None of the Congress leaders dared to question the BJP, but they asked us for proof of BJP’s poaching attempts even when it is happening with their party in Goa and other states. Still, the Congress is supporting the BJP and the silence of Congress leaders in Punjab exposes their alliances with BJP,” Cheema said.

Pointing out that Congress president Sonia Gandhi is facing an Enforcement Directorate probe, he said the Congress is afraid of uttering anything against the BJP to save her.  “The only aim of Congress is now to stop AAP, as directed by the BJP, which is afraid of the growing popularity of the party’s supremo Arvind Kejriwal across the country,” the AAP leader said.

Lashing out at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Cheema said SAD was an alliance of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for a long time and it now wants to return to the BJP fold. “That’s why Akali leaders are corroborating BJP’s statements. Even they did not object to BJP’s nefarious tactics of trying to topple the AAP government after offering Rs 25 crore to the AAP legislators in Punjab,” he said.

“Have they now officially become spokespersons of the BJP or do they want to kill democracy like BJP,” Cheema asked while perishing Akali Dal and Congress leaders for daring to ask AAP for proof of BJP’s venal act of poaching in the state.

Lambasting the Modi Government, Cheema said horse trading by the BJP has been going on in different states of the country. “BJP, under its Operation Lotus, had earlier shifted governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Arunachal Pradesh but it has been stopped by the AAP, first in Delhi and now in Punjab, as the party has staunch supporters of Kejriwal,” he added.