New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) A sitting AAP councillor’s arrest for allegedly running an illegal betting racket kicked up a political storm in the national capital as Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said on Sunday that the incident has exposed the ‘real face’ of the corrupt party.
Sachdeva questioned former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj, whether they would continue to shield the tainted councillor from Swaroop Nagar or expel him.
Joginder Singh Bunty was arrested by Delhi Police while gambling and organising illegal betting, and the investigators seized Rs 4.35 lakh in cash, said the Delhi BJP chief.
Sachdeva said it remains to be seen if Kejriwal and Bharadwaj expel this ‘gambler councillor’ from the AAP or once again dismiss it as a BJP conspiracy.
He stated that a new face of AAP leaders has emerged ever since the party lost power in Delhi.
The Delhi BJP President said that Joginder Singh Bunty, who was arrested over gambling charges, is the same councillor who had brandished a revolver during the 2022 municipal election campaign and was caught on video.
Sachdeva said, “AAP leaders have always claimed to be a party that practices a different kind of politics, but Delhiites began seeing the party’s real face with leaders like fake degree-holder Minister Jitendra Tomar and controversial ration-card Minister Sandeep Kumar. The latest addition to that list is Councillor Joginder Singh Bunty, arrested for running a gambling racket.”
Earlier, the Delhi BJP chief said that Kejriwal’s obstinacy has led to a fragmentation within the AAP that has now extended from Delhi’s organisation to Punjab.
Sachdeva said that during the farmers’ protest, AAP leaders had promised to implement minimum support price (MSP) reforms and hikes immediately after coming to power.
They also made promises of financial support for women, better schools, hospitals, full electricity and water supply, he added.
However, after more than half of their term has passed, AAP MLAs in Punjab now feel uncomfortable being accountable to the public, he said.
In this uncomfortable scenario, Punjab AAP MLA Anmol Gagan — who once made populist statements like “MSP in five minutes” based on trust in party leaders — resigned from the Assembly to maintain transparency with the public, Sachdeva added.
–IANS
rch/uk
