Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday took a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal claiming that all “good people” have left him. He also rejected allegations of “coercion” after seven Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha quit AAP and joined the BJP.In an interview with ANI, Rijiju rejected allegations that central agencies were used to pressure leaders into switching sides, particularly claims involving the Enforcement Directorate.“There’s no question of coercion. The common man has been robbed in the name of ‘Aam Aadmi’. Arvind Kejriwal has taken complete control and turned the Aam Aadmi Party into his own private party,” he said.Referring to the exodus of leaders, he said, “One after another, so many people from the Aam Aadmi Party quit the party and even joined the BJP or Congress.”“There is no question of ED. The investigation agency does its work; we cannot comment on it. Now, only his core group, who engage in illegal activities together, remains. All the good people have left Kejriwal,” Rijiju added.The BJP leader also targeted the opposition INDIA bloc, alleging internal divisions and lack of unity among its constituents.“All those who have formed the INDI Alliance belong to ‘Tukde-Tukde’. They are not in tandem with each other. They all came together to oppose women’s reservation. Then, Rahul Gandhi goes and abuses Arvind Kejriwal,” he said.“Arvind Kejriwal abuses Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi abuses Mamata didi. They didn’t come together on principles. They came together solely to loot and for convenience,” he added. AAP suffered a major setback on Friday after seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs resigned and announced their merger with the BJP, alleging that the Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its founding principles and values.The political shift saw two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal quit the party and join the BJP. They were later joined by Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal.With the switch, the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has risen from 106 to 113, while the NDA tally has increased from 141 to 148, including seven nominated members. With over 30 seats set to fall vacant by the end of the year, the BJP is expected to gain at least five more, moving closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 163.Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking clarification over an unauthorised alteration in the party’s position in official records, raising further questions amid the political churn.
