Days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to topple its government in Punjab through “Operation Lotus”, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Monday, said he would convene a special session of the state Assembly on 22 September to seek a “vote of confidence”.
“The faith of the people has no value in any currency of the world… On Thursday, 22 September, a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha will be convened and this will be proved legally by submitting a vote of confidence… Long live the revolution..!,” Mann tweeted.
The AAP, on 13 September, accused the BJP of trying to topple its government in Punjab through “Operation Lotus”. Addressing a Press conference, senior AAP leader and finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema had said under ‘Operation Lotus’ many leaders and agents of BJP from Delhi and Punjab have over phone approached at least 10 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) belonging to the AAP and offered Rs 25 Crore each to quit AAP and join the BJP.
The CM, however, had said the BJP’s ploy to buy Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators in Punjab will fail. “If these people (BJP) do not get votes, they choose the way of buying MLAs,” he had said, expressing faith that AAP’s Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will remain loyal to their land and Punjab.
The BJP, however, alleges the AAP has failed to keep its promises which were done at the time of Punjab elections and the party is now trying to distract the public by making such statements against BJP.
The BJP has demanded a probe by a retired judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court into the allegation made by the AAP regarding money being offered to AAP legislators by the saffron party in order to make them join the BJP.