‘Operation Lotus floated to topple AAP govts..,’ Saurabh Bharadwaj slams BJP-led Centre

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.

As reported by ANI, the AAP leader said, “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," 

Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the alignment of AAP legislators from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku, a Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, and Sheetal Angural, an MLA from Jalandhar West, with the BJP in Punjab's Jalandhar region, despite the BJP's anticipated fourth-place finish in the elections.

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