This Article is From Aug 29, 2022

Arvind Kejriwal On Majority Test: "To Show (BJP's) Op Lotus Failed"

Last week, in an apparent show of strength, Arvind Kejriwal led prayers at the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat along with his party MLAs.

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Arvind Kejriwal today called for a confidence vote in the house to prove all Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs are with him despite what he claims are BJP's attempts to break his party as part of an "Operation Lotus". The voting will take place tomorrow.

Here are the top 10 latest updates on Arvind Kejriwal's confidence vote

  1. The day started with a noisy showdown as BJP legislators raised slogans against the ruling AAP and demanded discussions on various issues, including the Excise Policy case. Just before the trust vote, BJP MLAs were marshalled out of the Delhi assembly for creating a ruckus.

  2. Arvind Kejriwal said he wanted to take the majority test to prove that his party MLAs were honest and would not be tempted to cross over. He reiterated that the BJP had offered Rs 20 crore each to his MLAs to switch sides.

  3. Mr Kejriwal alleged that the BJP has "bought" 277 MLAs till now to topple various state governments across the country, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Goa Maharashtra and Assam. "The party will now try to dislodge the Jharkhand government in the next 15 days," he said.

  4. "The BJP tried to buy our legislators too. Through this confidence motion, we wanted to show Delhiites that no AAP MLA has been bought. The "Operation Lotus" - a plan to topple the AAP government in Delhi - has failed," he said.

  5. After Mr Kejriwal's address, AAP MLAs jumped into the well alleging a scam of Rs 1400 crore when Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman. Holding placards, they raised slogans and demanded action against him. The AAP MLAs are going to spend the night in state Assembly in protest against the Lt Governor.

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  7. Last week, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had claimed that the BJP had offered to "shut all cases" against him if he quit the AAP and crossed over.  AAP has 62 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi assembly. The BJP has eight and needs 28 more for a majority.

  8. The CBI recently raided Mr Sisodia in a case related to alleged irregularities and corruption in Delhi's liquor policy which was introduced earlier this year and then rolled back. Mr Sisodia is number one on a list of 15 accused named in the CBI's FIR on liquor policy violations. The Enforcement Directorate has also filed a money laundering case against him.

  9. The FIR is based on a reference from the Lieutenant Governor, who had accused AAP of bringing the Excise Policy "with the sole aim" of benefiting private liquor barons for financial benefits to "individuals at the highest echelons of the government. Mr Saxena has alleged various discrepancies in the functioning of the Delhi government. 

  10. AAP has said that the 2024 general election is set to be a contest between Mr Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accuses the BJP of misusing central agencies to try and stop the AAP leader because of his rising popularity and "commendable" work in the education and health sector.

  11. The BJP has denied AAP's allegations, accusing it of trying to divert attention from the corruption in its government. The party also dismissed AAP's claim of being the main challenger to the BJP in the 2024 general election, saying, AAP made tall claims earlier too but could not stand before PM Modi."

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