AAP hits out at BJP, day after 3 party councillors switch sides

PTI

Chandigarh, February 19

A day after three of its municipal councillors switched over to the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday hit out at the party accusing it of threatening them and using unfair tactics to poach them.

The Congress, which contested the recent mayoral polls jointly with the AAP, also targeted the BJP, alleging that the entire election episode had exposed it before the public.

Three AAP councillors -- Neha, Poonam and Gurcharan Kala -- joined the BJP in the presence of senior party leader Vinod Tawde on Sunday.

The development came hours after BJP leader Manoj Sonkar resigned as Chandigarh mayor on Sunday, a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a plea alleging irregularities in the mayoral polls.

On his party's three councillors joining the BJP, Chandigarh AAP president Sunny Ahluwalia hit out at the saffron outfit, accusing it of threatening the councillors and using unfair tactics to poach them.

“They are known for such tactics. These councillors who until a few days ago were sitting in protest against them were threatened..they used unfair tactics to make them join their party. It was all part of those sequence of events (connected with the mayoral polls) in which everyone saw how democracy was murdered. It was part of their 'Operation Lotus',” he alleged.

On the issue of whether their alliance would continue in case a fresh mayoral poll is held, AAP and Congress leaders said they will strategize after the apex court hears the matter.

“As of now, 10 councillors are of AAP and seven of Congress. We spoke with the Chandigarh Congress chief and we will strategize everything on how to move forward,” Ahluwalia said, responding to a question on the alliance.

Chandigarh Congress president H S Lucky alleged that in the entire episode of the mayoral polls, the BJP stands exposed before the public.

“Everyone saw what they did. Everyone watched the video of how the presiding officer declared eight votes invalid for mayor's post,” Lucky said.

On three AAP councillors switching over, he said, “BJP is known to play politics of lies and pressure. They have been exposed before people's court. Ever since the mayoral polls were declared, BJP was hell bent on breaking this (Cong-AAP) alliance.”

“They were wanting to secure the numbers in their favour and tried to defer the polls. When the elections were finally held on January 30 on the intervention of the high court, everyone saw how eight votes were declared invalid.”

On a question on his party’s alliance with the AAP, Lucky said, “We are waiting for the Supreme Court verdict. As soon as it comes, we will decide accordingly.”

Opposition councillors had earlier alleged that Presiding Officer Anil Masih tampered with the ballot papers, a charge rubbished by the BJP.

Prior to the joining of three AAP councillors, the BJP had 14 councillors in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the AAP 13.

Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher, who is a BJP member, also has voting rights as an ex-officio member of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

The Congress has seven councillors and the Shiromani Akali Dal has one councillor. The BJP had swept the January 30 Chandigarh mayoral polls, in a setback to the Congress-AAP alliance that alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer.

Sonkar had defeated the AAP's Kuldeep Kumar for the mayor's post, polling 16 votes against his rival's 12. Eight votes were declared invalid.

The AAP plea was filed in the top court challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that refused to grant any interim relief to the party seeking fresh mayoral polls in Chandigarh.

On February 5, the Supreme Court had rapped the returning officer who conducted the Chandigarh mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to “murder and mockery” of democracy.

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