BJP offered Rs 20 crore each to 4 MLAs to switch sides: AAP MP Sanjay Singh

Singh accused PM Modi of making efforts to bring AAP legislators into the BJP-fold 'by hook or crook'

Days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed that the BJP promised him Chief Minister’s post and offered to close cases if he left his party, AAP on Wednesday brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the line of fire. Accusing him of trying to topple the Delhi government "by hook or by crook”, AAP claimed that the BJP approached its four MLAs offering Rs 20 crore to switch sides or face "false cases, CBI and ED".

AAP supremo and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee in the evening to discuss the “very serious matter” and summoned all MLAs for a meeting on Thursday, as the party intended to intensify its fight against the BJP following central agencies “targeting” its leaders, including Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.

“We want to assure the people that your government is stable and no one will leave the AAP…We want to appeal to the PM to dedicate his time to solving people’s problems rather than trying to topple state governments,” a resolution passed by AAP’s PAC said. The Kejriwal government also convened a special session of the Delhi Assembly on Friday amid the political slugfest.

Also read: Kejriwal summons AAP MLAs on August 25, says BJP attempting coup in Delhi

The BJP shot back at the AAP with spokesperson Sambit Patra saying, "They may have got such offers from liquor mafia. Why don't they tell the names of persons who approached them?" Meanwhile, Congress took potshots at Kejriwal’s demand that Sisodia be conferred Bharat Ratna for his work in education field, saying the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should get the highest civilian award if there is a new category for corruption.

While Kejriwal said some MLAs had approached him to inform him about the "threat" and offer of bribes,Sisodia said the latest action on AAP MLAs comes after the BJP failed to "break him'' and warned the rivals that they will fail in their "attempt to scare their party MLAs".

AAP Rajya Sabha floor leader Sanjay Singh alleged that MLAs Ajay Dutt, Sanjeev Jha, Somnath Bharati and Kuldeep Kumar were approached by BJP leaders with whom they have "friendly relations". He alleged, "They have been offered Rs 20 crore each if they join BJP and Rs 25 crore each if they bring other MLAs. BJP leaders told MLAs that if they do not accept the offer, they will face false cases, CBI and ED like Sisodia did."

On August 22, Sisodia had claimed that the BJP approached him with an offer to close all cases against him if he "breaks" the AAP and joins the saffron party, an allegation denied by the BJP.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-ji is trying to bring AAP MLAs to the BJP by hook or by crook and topple the Delhi government by misusing probe agencies, sending his people to offer money to them and threaten them of consequences if they do not switch sides," Singh told a press conference.

Singh said that the "experiment" which the BJP used and got successful with Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde has failed in the case of Sisodia. The same experiment is being tried on AAP MLAs, he said at the press conference also attended by the four MLAs.