AAP govt calls Delhi assembly special session amid horse-trading claims by MLAs

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi have been at loggerheads over multiple issues through out this month

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has called a special session of the Delhi assembly on Friday amid a political storm after the ruling party claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to lure their MLAs besides threatening them with fake cases.

The Delhi assembly special session is likely to be a stormy session as the Opposition BJP is all geared up to corner the AAP government on the excise policy and other issues. (File/ANI)

According to a document issued by the Delhi assembly, the session is scheduled to begin at 11am on Friday. Throughout this month the AAP and the BJP have been at loggerheads over multiple issues beginning with the lieutenant governor’s (LG) move to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, the issue of freebies, then over CBI raids on deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s residence and lately on the claims that the BJP is trying to poach AAP MLAs in a bid to topple the Delhi government.

These issues are likely to dominate the upcoming session of the assembly.It is likely to be a stormy session as the Opposition BJP is all geared up to corner the government on the excise policy and other issues. Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who recently demanded the convening of the session to discuss the issues, said, “the AAP government will have to answer questions on the excise scam like how over ₹144 crore of licence fee was waived off in the name of Covid lockdown, how licenses were issued to blacklisted contractors and how liquor manufacturers were issued licenses to sell liquor in retail among other questions. The AAP government will also have to answer questions on irregularities in the construction of school rooms, the purchase of DTC buses, irregularities in the construction of temporary hospitals during Covid, etc.”

It is likely that the AAP will target the BJP over alleged attempts to lure its legislators into the saffron party in a bid to topple the AAP government. Four AAP lawmakers on Wednesday accused the BJP of offering them ₹20 crore each for defecting and ₹25 crore in case they convinced more legislators to follow suit as part of attempts to topple their government in Delhi. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said MLAs Somnath Bharti, Sanjeev Jha, Ajay Dutt, and Kuldeep Kumar refused to accept the offer and added they were threatened that fake cases will be lodged against them like in the case of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

Reacting to the allegation, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday said, “They (AAP) may have got such offers from liquor mafia. Why don’t they tell the names of the people who approached them?”

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, who also addressed the press conference, said the AAP has failed to give direct and specific answers to questions posed by his party on the excise policy.

(With PTI inputs)