MP Obhrai backpedals on ‘conspiracy’ accusation in Forest Lawn Tory nomination
Deepak Obhrai says there may not be a conspiracy against him but there’s definitely a political “vendetta” at play in the attempt to unseat him as the Conservative nominee in Calgary Forest Lawn.
Obhrai, an MP for two decades, is being challenged for the Conservative nomination in the east Calgary riding by former Progressive Conservative MLA Moe Amery.
In a Facebook post earlier this week, Obhrai said he was being challenged by someone he had considered a friend and described the campaign as a “conspiracy,” a phrase ridiculed by Amery.
On Thursday, Obhrai released a statement saying he “misspoke” in his Facebook post when he used the word conspiracy.
“I was referring to a personal vendetta against me, by longtime political opponents,” he said.
In an interview, Obhrai declined to elaborate on what he meant by vendetta.
He said he does not feel betrayed by Amery, but the former MLA took both him and the party by surprise when he launched the nomination challenge. Obhrai is taking issue with Amery’s contention he was no longer adequately fulfilling his role as an MP.
“It would be far more appropriate for him to say he would like to challenge me and that’s the way it goes, not attacking me on something he knows very well is not true.”
Amery was the MLA for CalgaryEast from 1993 until he lost his seat in 2015.
He has filed papers with the Conservative party to run for the nomination but still needs final approval of the party for his candidacy. No nomination date has been set.