AAP accuses BJP of poaching its MP, MLAs from Punjab; Bhagwant Mann claims he was offered money, cabinet berth

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday accused the BJP of trying to poach its lawmakers from Punjab including its state unit president Bhagwant Mann who claimed he was offered money and a place in the Union Cabinet if he joined the saffron party ahead of assembly election.

Punjab BJP leader Subhash Sharma rejected Mann's allegations as ''baseless'' and claimed he was making such comments to gain limelight after being sidelined by his own party.

Without naming anyone, Mann, who is an MP from Sangrur, claimed that a senior BJP leader contacted him four days ago and asked him, ''What would you take to join the BJP?'' The AAP leader claimed he was asked if needed money and was told that he would be made a Union cabinet minister if he joined the BJP.

''I told him (BJP leader) that I am on a mission not on commission,'' Mann told reporters in Chandigarh.

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha alleged that ''top BJP leaders'' from Delhi had approached the AAP leaders in Punjab over phone requesting them to join the saffron party and offering bribes.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, he claimed that 25 Congress MLAs have been approaching his party to join it, but the AAP doesn't want this ''garbage'' and said he is ready to share the list with the BJP if it wants to take them in its fold.

''Senior-most leaders of the BJP are making phone calls from Delhi to our party leaders, MP, MLAs in Punjab requesting them to join the BJP offering them to take any amount of money, land, property and position they want for coming to their party fold quitting the AAP, '' Chadha alleged in a press conference in Delhi.

''Calls have been made to our MP Bhagwant Singh Mann directly from the office of Amit Shah (Union Home Minister), '' he added.

Hitting out at the BJP, he said leaders and workers of AAP ''can neither be intimidated nor purchased''.

He asked the BJP not to try to poach the AAP's MLAs and MP from Punjab, saying that all the phone calls from saffron party leaders will now be recorded and made public.

''We will make the recorded conversation over the phone public. All the AAP leaders have been asked to record the phone calls from now on from the BJP leaders,'' he said.

Reacting to Mann' allegations, Punjab BJP leader Subhash Sharma dared him to make the name of the leader public. "I challenge Mann sahab to make the name of the leader public in order to know the truth but he will not do so because it is the habit of the AAP to level false accusations and then run away," he said.

He claimed Mann's statement is aimed at gaining importance in his party as the AAP was ''neither announcing him as the chief ministerial CM face, nor giving him any importance''. ''He wants to come into the limelight by making baseless statements,'' the BJP leader alleged.

Chadha, co-convenor of the party's political affairs in Punjab, refused to share the names of other AAP leaders and MLAs who were allegedly contacted by the saffron party leaders from Delhi in this connection.

''They have been contacted and asked to quote their price or tell whatever they want for quitting AAP and joining the BJP,'' he alleged.

Chadha claimed that as many as 25 Congress MLAs have been ''constantly'' approaching the AAP expressing their interest in joining the party.

''If you (BJP) want we will share the list of these 25 Congress MLAs who want to quit Congress and join AAP. We don't want this garbage. If you are interested in them, you can take them in your party fold,'' Chadha said.

AAP leaders would not quit their party to join the BJP at any cost, he asserted.

''Leave aside AAP MP and MLAs, even a worker of the party will not leave AAP to join the BJP no matter how much money you offer to them, or you put CBI, ED or police after them. AAP leaders can neither be intimidated nor purchased,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)