Give proof or resign: BJP to Delhi CM Kejriwal on poaching charge

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday rejected as "false" and "baseless" Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation that it was trying to poach AAP legislators to topple his government and asked him to either give proof to substantiate his claim or resign.

AAP leaders, including its convener Kejriwal, alleged that seven MLAs of the party were offered Rs 25 crore each and a BJP ticket to contest polls if they switched sides.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal should stop "lying" and dared him to tell the names of the MLAs who, the AAP chief has claimed, were contacted by the BJP.

"Kejriwal's statement shows his political frustration. He said that the BJP wants to break off his party MLAs. This shows his mental bankruptcy and how much a party of 62 MLAs (out of 70 in Assembly) is frustrated after losing its political ground," he said.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that Chief Minister Kejriwal has made "false allegations to defame the BJP".

"He should provide proof of his statement otherwise he should resign from the post of chief minister," Bidhuri said, adding that the BJP is consulting experts for legal action in this matter.

He also claimed that Kejriwal's dream of becoming a major political leader in the country was disintegrating as the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was soaring after the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"The BJP is going to win 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls, so AAP is falsely accusing the BJP of poaching its MLAs," he said.

The AAP leaders have also alleged that the BJP was conspiring to get Kejriwal arrested in a "fake" liquor scam case and topple his government by poaching AAP MLAs.

Sachdeva said,"People can see that Kejriwal needs an alliance for survival as his political ground has slipped ahead of Lok Sabha polls. So, he is making such absurd statements so that he can stay alive politically." The "absurd" claims made by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders including Delhi minister Atishi show that they have lost all their discretion before their imminent fall, Delhi BJP secretary Bansuri Swaraj said.

"Kejriwal has now run out of excuses to avoid ED investigation in the liquor scam so he has started resorting to lies," she charged.

Kejriwal has so far skipped four notices of the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged excise policy scam in his government.

Delhi BJP general secretary Kamaljit Sehrawat claimed there was "unrest" among the AAP MLAs and MPs and Kejriwal was accusing the BJP "due to frustration with his own people".

"Kejriwal is levelling wild allegations against the BJP to divert attention from the way opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was breaking apart in different states," claimed Delhi BJP media cell head Praveen Shankar Kapoor. PTI