Tape suggests Kejriwal role in 'poaching' MLAs

A leaked audio tape purportedly showing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal discussing his plans to poach six Congress MLAs to form government last year comes as the latest addition to the raging infighting in the party.

Former AAP MLA Rajesh Garg on Wednesday said the conversation played out between Kejriwal and him, while claiming that he was not behind the leak.

“Manish (Sisodia) has been in touch with Congress MLAs but they don’t seem to be keen on supporting AAP,” Kejriwal says in a telephonic conversation with Garg.

“We have to move fast else the Lieutenant Governor may announce dissolution of the Assembly. We have to move very carefully so that the Cong MLAs don’t end up doing a sting on us,” the former AAP MLA from Rohini said.

“What you should do is break the Congress and get six MLAs to float their own party. They can then support the AAP from the outside,” Kejriwal adds.  Garg claimed that the AAP chief wanted to avoid facing the elections after the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

“These six MLAs were planning to join the BJP but they could not do so because three of them are Muslims. We should get them to now support AAP,” Kejriwal tells Garg in the audio clip.

After the tape sparked a controversy, the AAP MLA expressed ignorance on how the clip became public, saying that he had e-mailed the recorded conversation to party leader Kumar Vishwas. “I had given the recording to Kumar Vishwas. I am surprised how this reached media,” he said.

The former AAP legislator, in the run-up to the polls, had lashed out at the party alleging lack of inner-party democracy.