‘Operation Lotus floated to break AAP,’ AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj comes down heavily on BJP
Operation Lotus floated to break AAP : Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, alleging that the BJP had offered money, security and positions to AAP MLAs in Punjab to switch and join the BJP.
"I think what Arvind Kejriwal was saying earlier has turned out to be true today --- Operation Lotus has been floated just to break AAP and topple our governments in Delhi and Punjab," said the AAP leader.
Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why AAP legislators from Punjab, such as Sushil Kumar Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Sheetal Angural, an MLA from Jalandhar West, aligned with the BJP in Jalandhar, despite the fact that the BJP was projected to secure a fourth-place finish in the elections in Punjab.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Bharadwaj said, "If the BJP is in such bad condition in Punjab, why did it poach our MP (Sushil Kumar Rinku) and MLA (Sheetal Angural) yesterday? Our MLAs from Punjab told us yesterday that several MLAs in the state were offered money to switch and join the BJP and that they were offered Y+ security and positions. They were also given the offer to contest Lok Sabha elections."
"Sushil Kumar Rinku's MP tenure has concluded. A model code of conduct is in place. He can do only one thing now, which is contest elections. You can ask anyone for an assessment. The BJP will come in fourth in Jalandhar, Punjab. They can do whatever they want, but they will be fourth. The question is, why would an MP join the BJP to come fourth?" said Bharadwaj.
AAP leader, Saurabh Bharadwaj highlighted that three AAP Punjab MLAs disclosed during a press conference that many AAP legislators were approached with offers to join the BJP. He noted that this situation validated concerns raised earlier by Arvind Kejriwal regarding "Operation Lotus" aimed at destabilizing AAP and its governments in Delhi and Punjab. Despite these attempts, Bharadwaj expressed pride in the MLAs for informing the party leadership and publicly addressing the issue.
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On Wednesday, two AAP legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural, joined the BJP and met with its national president, JP Nadda. Rinku stated his decision was for Jalandhar's development, criticizing the AAP government's alleged lack of progress in Punjab. He praised the BJP's initiatives and support from leaders like PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Operation Lotus refers to the "poaching" or "bribing" of MLAs and MPs of other parties by the BJP, often to form governments in states where they do not have the majority.
(With inputs from agencies)
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