Jolt to AAP, its HP chief Anup Kesari joins BJP
Says felt insulted after being sidelined during Kejriwal, Mann roadshow
SHIMLA: In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party in Himachal Pradesh, its state unit president Anup Kesari, general secretary (organisation) Satish Thakur and Una district chief Iqbal Singh have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi.
Union minister Anurag Thakur inducted the three leaders into the party at the residence of BJP national president JP Nadda on Friday. The development came days after AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann took out a roadshow and rally in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi town, the home turf of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, on April 6. Kesari told the media that workers who built the AAP in Himachal felt insulted by the Delhi and Punjab chief ministers, and soon many more will leave the party.
Kesari was miffed over not being allowed on the open vehicle during the Kejriwal roadshow in Mandi. “Except CM Kejriwal and CM Mann, no one was allowed on the vehicle. It was an insult to the local leadership. We can’t compromise on our self-respect,”
he said.
Was about to terminate him, says Sisodia
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday slammed the BJP for inducting Aam Aadmi Party’s Himachal Pradesh unit president Anup Kesari and called his former party leader “characterless” adding that the party was about to terminate him today for his “anti-women remarks”.
Addressing a press conference here, Sisodia said, “The party that claims to be the largest party in the world is in such a state that its president and a Union Minister induct such a person into the party who has complaints against his name and who talks ill about women.”
“The Chief Ministerial face of the BJP hugs a characterless man in frustration. Complaints were received about his misbehaviour with women and we were about to terminate him from the party. Today the BJP has inducted him. That is his rightful place,” Sisodia added taking a jibe at Anurag Thakur.
AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also accused the BJP of inducting a “tainted worker”, hours after three of its members, including its state chief, defected.
“These people (the BJP) are afraid of the public. If the BJP leaders had worked honestly for the public, then there would not have been so much fear in them, there would have been no need to change the CM, there would have been no need to fall at the feet of the tainted workers of other parties. People have faith in the AAP. The AAP will give a staunchly honest and Deshbhakt Government to Himachal ,” he added.
Anurag launches counteroffensive
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday launched a counteroffensive against the AAP and Sisodia in particular.
“I welcome the three AAP leaders, including its state president, general secretary and district president of Una, into the party fold. I told them to work as a family. You see, there is a long queue of leaders who want to join the BJP seeing the policies and programmes of PM Narendra Modi,” Anurag said.
“These were the people who toiled for the AAP in Himachal and now, Sisodia is accusing them. I just wanted to know why is he (Sisodia) afraid of the BJP,” he said.