Operation Lotus 2.0? Kejriwal Says BJP Contacted 7 AAP MLAs To Topple Delhi Govt, Saffron Party Responds

In an X post, Kejriwal said that the BJP has confirmed having contacted 21 MLAs, who would be paid Rs 25 crore to fight polls on BJP tickets.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the liquor scam investigation is just an excuse to arrest him and topple the Delhi government. ( Image Source :PTI )

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the BJP recently contacted seven AAP MLAs and told them that he would be arrested and the MLAs would be lured into the BJP very soon. In an X post, Kejriwal said that the BJP has confirmed having contacted 21 MLAs, who would be paid Rs 25 crore to fight polls on BJP tickets.

In his post, Kejriwal said that the AAP is aware of the BJP having contacted just seven MLAs who quoted a BJP leader as saying: “We will arrest Kejriwal after a few days. After that, we will break away the MLAs. Talks have been held with 21 MLAs. We are talking to others as well. We will topple the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi. You can also come. Will give Rs 25 crore each and contest the elections on BJP ticket.”

"Although the BJP claims that it has contacted 21 MLAs, as per our information, the party has contacted only 7 MLAs so far and all of them have refused. This means that I am not being arrested to investigate any liquor scam but to topple the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi," Kejriwal's post added.

He further said that in the last nine years, the BJP has hatched many conspiracies to topple the AAP government, but did not get any success. "God and the people always supported us. All our MLAs stand strong together. This time also these people [BJP] will fail in their nefarious intentions," he said.

पिछले दिनों इन्होंने हमारे दिल्ली के 7 MLAs को संपर्क कर कहा है - “कुछ दिन बाद केजरीवाल को गिरफ़्तार कर लेंगे। उसके बाद MLAs को तोड़ेंगे। 21 MLAs से बात हो गयी है। औरों से भी बात कर रहे हैं। उसके बाद दिल्ली में आम आदमी पार्टी की सरकार गिरा देंगे। आप भी आ जाओ। 25 करोड़ रुपये देंगे…

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 27, 2024

Speaking on the allegation, Delhi Minister Atishi said, "BJP has started 'Operation Lotus 2.0' and is trying to topple the democratically elected AAP government in Delhi. Seven MLAs of the AAP have been contacted by the BJP, and have been told, that Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested soon, after which AAP MLAs will be rifted apart. They are in touch with 21 of our MLAs, using whom they aim to topple the Delhi government. Those 7 MLAs have been offered Rs 25 crore each... Operation Lotus is the tactic used by the BJP to come into power in states, where they are not democratically elected... Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are examples..."

#WATCH | Delhi: On allegations of BJP contacting AAP leaders, Minister Atishi says, "BJP has started 'Operation Lotus 2.0', and is trying to topple the democratically elected AAP government in Delhi. 7 MLAs of the AAP have been contacted by the BJP, and have been told, that… pic.twitter.com/mkBZ2shuyo

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2024

BJP leader Kapil Mishra, however, called the allegations "lies". He said, "Arvind Kejriwal is again lying as he has done since the last seven times. Not once has been able to tell which phone number was used to contact them, who contacted them, and where was the meeting held. he just gives out statements and goes into hiding... His partners are in jail, and he is repeatedly avoiding ED summons because he knows he does not have answers to the ED questions..."

#WATCH | Delhi: On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Minister Atishi's statements, BJP leader Kapil Mishra says, "Arvind Kejriwal is again lying as he has done since the last seven times. Not once has been able to tell which phone number was used to contact them, who contacted them,… pic.twitter.com/iTROtClxNn

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2024