Contest polls on all 70 seats, stop writing letters: BJP tells AAP

NEW DELHI: The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday challenged Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest elections on all 70 assembly seats.

The challenge came hours after AAP leader and deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, in an open letter, accused the BJP government at the Centre of indulging in “dirty politics” while questioning the disqualification of 20 AAP legislators, which he called “unconstitutional” and “illegal”.

Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari termed the letter a “hollow tactic” by the Kejriwal government “of evoking sympathy by playing the victim card” that had no potential of impressing the people of Delhi.

“We call upon the AAP to come before the people in election rather than trying to play the victim card. People very well know the disqualification of MLAS was a result of Team Kejriwal’s greed for power,” Tiwari said adding that people have, in fact, started looking forward to bypolls to 20 assembly seats.

Tiwari, who is also a BJP MP from north-east Delhi, tweeted, challenging Sisodia’s letter. “Don’t write letters. Instead of contesting on the 20 seats, contest all 70 seats,” he wrote.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the party was always ready for polls, particularly after the petition seeking disqualification of MLAS was filed in 2015. “We have been preparing for elections, specially on 20 seats, for two years,” he said.