The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislature wing, on Tuesday condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for tabling a confidence motion in the Assembly through the backdoor solely to politicise the bribery allegations made by it against the BJP and derive political benefit in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, SAD legislature party leader, Manpreet Singh Ayali said the confidence motion was also tabled to divert attention from the core issues of Punjab.

He questioned the necessity of moving the confidence motion in the assembly when no opposition party legislator had made any such demand. “Moreover the AAP government enjoys the support of 92 legislators out of 117 and moving this resolution indicates it wants to play politics instead of addressing the genuine concerns of Punjabis,” Ayali said.

He said the AAP government had moved the confidence motion through the backdoor. “I attended the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee and there was no mention of moving any confidence motion during discussions held to finalize the agenda of the house,” the SAD leader added.

Speaking about the alleged bribery allegations made against the BJP that AAP legislators were offered Rs 25 Crore each to switch sides, Ayali said “Even though a complaint in this regard was submitted to the state DGP on 14 September, no action has been taken in the case till now. The names of the persons who offered the bribes have not been disclosed till now nor has any arrest taken place in the case,” he added.

Asserting that AAP had run away from discussing crucial issues concerning the state and its people, Ayali said it was most unfortunate that no time had been given to the SAD to speak in the Assembly.

“The government should have the capacity to listen also instead of just saying its bit and adjourning the house,” he said adding a number of issues including the crisis in the agriculture sector as well as breakdown of law and order, increased drug menace and illegal mining should have been taken up for discussion.