After lone Aam Aadmi Party MP Sushil Kumar Rinku joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ is underway to topple its two state governments.
Talking to presspersons, Bharadwaj said, “If the BJP is in such bad condition in Punjab, why did it poach our MP (Sushil Kumar Rinku) and MLA (Sheetal Angural) yesterday? Our MLAs from Punjab told us yesterday that several MLAs in the state were offered money to switch and join the BJP, they were offered Y-plus security and positions. They were also given the offer to contest Lok Sabha elections. Sushil Kumar Rinku's MP tenure has concluded, MCC is in place, he can do only one thing now - contest elections.”
The AAP leader said the BJP would only come fourth in the elections to Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. “You can ask anyone for an assessment, the BJP will come fourth in Jalandhar. They can do whatever they want, but they will be fourth. Question is, why would an MP join the BJP to come fourth?” he asked.
Bharadwaj said what Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal predicted has become true and the BJP is trying to topple governments in Delhi and Punjab. “I think what Arvind Kejriwal was saying earlier has turned out to be true today - Operation Lotus has been floated just to break AAP and topple our governments in Delhi and Punjab. But we are proud of our MLAs that they brought this to the knowledge of party leadership and held a press conference."
Rinku, who was named as the AAP's candidate from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, joined the BJP on Wednesday along with the party's Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural. Rinku quit the Congress to join the AAP last year to contest the bypoll to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. He was a vocal critic of the BJP in the Lok Sabha and was even suspended from the House for his unruly protests.
The BJP is likely to field him in the Lok Sabha polls as it inducts a number of influential leaders from different political parties in Punjab to emerge as a strong force in the state that has 13 parliamentary constituencies.
-with agency inputs.
