BJP expels 3 councillors for ‘corruption’; one says action taken as they were to join AAP today

“This is to inform you that owing to several complaints of excessive financial corruption from the people, you have been suspended from Bharatiya Janata Party’s membership for a period of six years. You have been informed of these complaints many times in the past and have been asked to correct your corrupt behaviour, but no improvement was seen. Therefore, you are expelled from the party for six years, with immediate effect,” he said in the letters.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj called the expulsion a “cosmetic action”. “When Adesh Gupta had complaints of financial corruption against these councillors, what were they waiting for? The BJP has CBI, ACB, Vigilance Department of the MCD, the entire central government and even the L-G. Even then, they haven’t submitted even a single complaint to the authorities… After five years of governing the MCD, the BJP is now taking cosmetic action against these councillors… real action would constitute getting them investigated,” he said.

AAP had previously made allegations of corruption against Pandey and Thakur. AAP’s Timarpur MLA Dilip Pandey, who was present at Madan’s joining, said that allegations against her were levied only because she was about to join the party.

“Our stand that the other two councillors were corrupt has been vindicated as we were the ones to have made allegations of corruption against them. As for Pooja Madan, BJP expelled her as she was already in the process of joining the party,” he said.

Madan said she did not receive support from the BJP and was unable to fulfil promises to her constituents due to lack of funds. “Why did they wait till now to expel me? When I told them I was joining AAP, they asked me to stay. If I was corrupt, why did they ask me to stay?,” she said.

Rajni went to the party office on Sunday afternoon to “get clarity on the action taken against her”, her husband Bablu Pandey said. Thakur said he was not given a chance to defend himself. “The building mafia opposes me, some people in my own party are against me,” he said.