‘BJP trying to poach AAP councillors’

New Delhi: In a recent development, leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the latter is resorting to bribery and threats to poach AAP councillors ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) standing committee elections.

AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak accused the BJP of employing underhanded tactics to disrupt AAP’s majority. “The BJP is adopting every trick to break AAP councillors,” he stated, revealing that some councillors have reportedly been offered bribes of up to Rs 2 crore, along with promises of MLA tickets. He emphasized that those resisting these offers face intimidation, including threats of harassment from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Sanjeev Jha, another AAP MLA, corroborated Pathak’s claims, mentioning specific incidents involving BJP leader Sundar Tanwar. “Sundar Tanwar went to one of the councilors and offered him Rs 2 crore and an MLA ticket in exchange for joining the BJP,” Jha said, adding that Tanwar threatened that if the councilor did not comply, he would face harassment from the ED-CBI. Jha characterized the BJP as a “gang” bent on undermining AAP’s support base through unethical means.

Durgesh Pathak detailed a disturbing incident involving AAP councilor Ram Chander from Bawana, who was allegedly coerced into joining the BJP under threat of ED-CBI action. “When he returned to AAP after two days, BJP people abducted him from his house,” Pathak revealed. He stressed the importance of documenting such interactions, urging councilors to “record everything they say” to expose BJP’s corrupt practices.

The press conference also included comments from Mukesh Solanki, the husband of AAP councilor Rinku Mukesh Solanki, who reported receiving pressure to vote for the BJP in the standing committee elections.