MCD Polls: BJP Releases New 'Sting' Alleging AAP Extorting Money For Tickets, Kejriwal Calls It 'Nautanki'

MCD Election 2022: The BJP has now accused the AAP of charging money for handing out tickets for the upcoming local body polls. Arvind Kejriwal has dismissed the claim as 'nautanki'

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday levelled fresh allegations against the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party with a purported video, claiming that the AAP charged money for handing out candidatures for the upcoming Delhi Municipality Election.

"The Aam Aadmi Party used to talk about anti-corruption, but today the whole party is engaged in extortion," the party's national spokesperson Sambit Patra said addressing a press conference. 

Patra further remarked that the AAP has been "completely exposed". 

The video was purportedly shot by former AAP volunteer Bindu who was allegedly asked to pay Rs 80 lakh for an AAP ticket from the Rohini D ward in the MCD polls, Patra alleged.

According to the BJP spokesperson, the video shows Bindu purportedly discussing the payment of money with some people said to be AAP leaders including its North West Delhi Lok Sabha incharge RR Pathania and Rohini Assembly constituency in charge coordinator Punit Goel.

Patra claimed, "These leaders including Pathania and Goel have links with a five-member committee of the AAP that was associated with ticket distribution. AAP minister Gopal Rai, MLAs Durgesh Pathak, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi as well as Adil Khan are its members".

He also said that the sting video revealed that 110 tickets of the AAP were reserved for distribution on the basis of payment.

Bindu claimed that AAP leaders "sold" tickets for MCD polls to rich people neglecting the party's ground-level volunteers.

"The AAP sold tickets and I did this sting after much thinking. This is not the doing of some leaders. They all are involved -- from the bottom to the top. Nothing happened even as I complaint to Durgesh Pathak about it," she alleged, as quoted by news agency PTI.

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta said, "It is clear from the sting that Aam Aadmi Party not only sold corporation tickets, they also sold assembly tickets".

Citing the "sting" video, the Rohini MLA said that the AAP candidate against him, Rajesh Nama 'Bansiwala', paid money before another leader Jai Kumar, and hence, Rajesh was fielded from the seat in the 2020 Delhi Election.

In response to the fresh claims, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal told ABP News, "BJP keeps bringing up new drama (nautanki) every day."

"Even before this, BJP has shown such sting videos many times. Get it investigated nothing will be found," he added.

Previously, the BJP has released "sting" videos pertaining to the now-withdrawn Delhi Excise policy. The BJP and AAP trade allegations as the excise case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation as well as the Enforcement Directorate. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is among the accused named in CBI's FIR.

The political tussle between the two parties has further intensified ahead of the December 4 MCD election as 1,349 candidates are in the fray for the polls to 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

(With Agency Inputs)