AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj claims: "Operation Lotus floated to break AAP"

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj. Pic/PTI

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 also raised a question as to why AAP legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Sheetal Angural, a Jalandhar West MLA, joined hands with the BJP in Punjab's Jalandhar, where the party was to come fourth in the elections.

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.

The AAP leader also said that three AAP Punjab MLAs had held a press conference wherein it was discussed that a majority of AAP MLAs received phone calls where they were lured to 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. But we are proud of our MLAs that they brought this to the knowledge of party leadership and held a press conference," said Bharadwaj.

Earlier on Wednesday, two Aam Aadmi Party legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural, joined the BJP, met its national president, JP Nadda, at his residence.

Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Angural, a Jalandhar West MLA, met Nadda immediately after both of them joined the BJP at its headquarters here. Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar was also with them during the meeting.

Rinku said that he had taken this decision for the development of Jalandhar.

"I have taken this decision for the development of Jalandhar. We will take Jalandhar forward. We will bring all the projects of the Central Government to Jalandhar," he said.

Rinku also alleged that no development work has been done in Punjab by the AAP government.

"No development work has been done in Punjab by the AAP government. On the other hand, I am impressed by the developmental work initiated by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also helped me a lot in the developmental work I have done in the Jalandhar constituency," Rinku said.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said, "Congress and AAP are two sides of the same coin. Sushil Rinku joined the party today. He is the only Lok Sabha MP of the AAP and they should be ashamed.

"Sheetal Angural put out a statement saying that he has resigned from all the responsibilities he had in the AAP.

Rinku is joining the BJP despite being announced as the AAP candidate from Jalandhar. He won the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of 58,691 votes in a by-poll in 2023.

On Tuesday, the Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu, joined the BJP. Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995 in Chandigarh in a suicide bombing.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Bittu defeated Simarjeet Singh Bains from the Lok Insaaf Party by 76,372 votes. In 2014, he defeated the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Harvinder Singh Phoolka with a margin of 19,709 votes.

The BJP earlier this week announced its decision to contest the election in Punjab on its own after it severed ties with its long-time ally, Shiromani Akali Dal.

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.

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