The Delhi Legislative Assembly today unanimously passed a confidence motion tabled by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He asserted that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will make India “BJP-free” by 2029 if the ruling party retains power after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Tabling the motion, Kejriwal claimed the BJP unsuccessfully tried poaching AAP legislators and toppling his government. Despite BJP having just 8 MLAs, he said bringing the motion exposed how all 62 AAP legislators stood firmly united.
AAP is BJP’s Biggest Challenger
During his speech, Kejriwal declared AAP has become BJP’s “biggest challenger” in national politics within just 10 years of its formation. He said, “With full responsibility, I state that if BJP does not lose the 2024 general elections, AAP will make India BJP-free in 2029.”
He elaborated that BJP leaders are “scared” because AAP has risen to become the main opposition party against them. They believe targeting Kejriwal will halt AAP’s rise, but he asserted no one can defeat his honest ideology.
Multiple MLAs Approached for Defection
Earlier, moving the confidence motion on February 17th, Kejriwal informed the Assembly that BJP contacted around 15 AAP MLAs, offering Rs 20 crore each if they switched sides. This was apparently aimed at inducing an internal rebellion within AAP legislative ranks.
However, he expressed satisfaction that none of the 62 AAP MLAs succumbed to such overtures due to their dedication towards party principles. Kejriwal also accused the central government of misusing investigative agencies like CBI and ED to frame false cases against him and other party leaders.
BJP Terms Allegations as ‘Public Stunt’
Meanwhile, the suspended 7 BJP MLAs dismissed Kejriwal’s allegations as a “public stunt” to divert attention from the Delhi government’s liquor excise “scam” being probed by the CBI. They demanded evidence backing AAP’s poaching accusations and said no MLA complained to agencies against such threats.
Trust Vote on Day Kejriwal Skips Court Summons
Notably, the Delhi CM secured the Assembly’s trust on the same day he skipped appearing before a Delhi court regarding a criminal defamation complaint. Kejriwal informed the judge via video link that the special session and Budget debates prevented his in-person presence.
The case involves Kejriwal’s remarks against a BJP spokesperson. The court directed the Delhi police to file a report detailing steps to procure Kejriwal’s presence on the next date on March 25th.
AAP’s Past Trust Motions
Incidentally, this marks the third confidence motion tabled by AAP during its present tenure. The earlier ones happened in 2022 and 2023 amid similar claims of BJP trying to poach MLAs through ‘Operation Lotus.’
The latest motion got support from 54 out of 62 AAP legislators present in the Assembly. Two are in judicial custody over unrelated cases, while others were absent or unwell. With an absolute majority, AAP faced no threat to its government. Yet experts believe the move was a political gambit before upcoming state elections to highlight BJP’s tactics against rivals.
So through today’s unprecedented trust vote, Kejriwal signaled AAP’s national expansion ambitions while attacking the Central government. Painting AAP as the only credible opposition to the BJP, he hoped to boost party worker morale. Furthermore, his combative speech vowed to end BJP’s dominance by the end of this decade should it retain power next year.