Two AAP MLAs have denied joining BJP: Saurabh Bharadwaj

NEW DELHI: AAP Chief Spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday claimed that 2 MLAs Devender Shehrawat and Anil Bajpai submitted in sworn affidavits before Vidhan Sabha Speaker Niwas Goel that they had not left the AAP. AAP claimed that in the run-up to the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had poached two of its MLAs–Anil Bajpai and Col Devinder Sehrawat.

The party also petitioned the speaker, seeking disqualification of the two legislators under the anti-defection law. Now, according to the AAP, the two MLAs have stated in their sworn affidavits before the speaker that they have not defected to the BJP.

"On May 3 and 6, the senior leadership of the BJP including Shyam Jaju, Vijay Goel and Vijendra Gupta held two press conferences and informed us that two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs–Anil Bajpai and Col Devinder Sehrawat–have left the AAP and joined the BJP," said Bharadwaj. He said that, however, when Speaker Ram Niwas Goel sought a reply from the two MLAs on a disqualification petition moved by him, they said on oath that they had not joined the BJP and continued to be members of the AAP.

Bharadwaj played videos of the press conferences he referred to, saying all of Delhi was witness to the two MLAs joining the BJP. He said the BJP even issued a press release to inform about their joining. "Yet, yesterday on sworn affidavits, Anil Bajpai and Devinder Sehrawat said, 'I am in Aam Aadmi Party and I have not joined the BJP'," he said.

Bharadwaj further claimed that the lawyers who had for long represented the BJP in several matters had argued in their favour before the speaker on Thursday. According to him, they had also claimed that the media reports that the two MLAs had joined the BJP were false. The AAP's charge is that the two MLAs have denied joining the BJP in order to evade action as per the anti-defection law.

Meanwhile, on the request of the lawyers representing the two MLAs, the speaker has summoned the reporters and editors of five newspapers, which had reported the purported defection of the two legislators into the BJP, on July 20. Mpost