AAP says its house intact but BJP claims dozens may defect
Aam Aadmi Party said on Monday that no other party legislator is trying to join the saffron camp after Bawana legislator Ved Parkash quit the party and Delhi assembly to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Speaking to reporters outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence over defection of the Bawana legislator, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “A section of media has reported that AAP legislator Madan Lal is also joining the BJP...We are in touch with all MLAs. Would request media to verify before running any news about AAP MLAs.”
With speculations rife about a bunch of AAP legislators in line to cross over, and with Madan Lal’s name openly doing the rounds, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s leadership decided to parade him in front of media.
“I am very happy with the party. I can’t even dream of leaving the party whose leader is worshipped across the world. Not only me, other MLAs and volunteers and people of Delhi are happy with the work being done by the government led by him,” Madan Lal told reporters, adding that he was planning to register a complaint with the Press Council of India against those media houses which are ‘misreporting’ his name.
However, BJP leaders maintained that the party is eyeing a group of dissenting AAP MLAs who are not ‘pleased with the functioning of AAP’. A party insider said there about a dozen MLAs who are in touch with the BJP leadership.
“We can’t reveal their names but several others are talking to us. They will soon take a decision and leave AAP,” said a BJP leader.
Speaking at the press conference, Ved Parkash said there are 30-35 AAP MLAs who are not happy with the party’s leadership, indicating that an unrest has been brewing within the AAP.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh, however, targeted the BJP for attempting to ‘destabilise’ the AAP government. Singh said all such attempts will prove futile like they have remained unsuccessful in the past.
“Foreseeing its defeat in the MCD elections, the BJP is using the same tactics it resorted to ahead of the 2015 assembly elections. They poached our Speaker in the assembly and others like Vinod Kumar Binny and Ashok Chauhan. They made all of these join at different stage. But people of Delhi made it clear through 2015 mandate that the more BJP tries to weaken AAP and Kejriwal, they will give more strength to the party,” Singh said