AAP crisis: Most MLAs throw weight behind CM Arvind Kejriwal

Shalimar Bagh MLA Bandana Kumari called Mishra’s allegations a “political stunt”, while Dwarka MLA Adarsh Shastri said, “Even Kejriwal’s adversaries are sure of his integrity and honesty. For us, what Kapil has said is totally unsubstantiated. The claim that he met the CM and Satyendar Jain is untrue and CCTV footage will prove this.”

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Other prominent faces who echoed the sentiment include Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav, Patel Nagar MLA Hazari Lal Chauhan, and Hari Nagar MLA Jagdeep Singh, who said that “Kejriwal is a man who doesn’t even take extra chutney with his samosa”.

However, suspended MLA Devinder Sehrawat called the party’s top leadership “average personalities”. He said, “People are asking these questions because conduct and lifestyle has left a lot of scope for doubt. I’ve known Mishra since his Yamuna Bachao Andolan days and I won’t debunk what he’s saying just like that.”

Rebel AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar, known for his support of Yogendra Yadav, said, “These allegations are not completely without base, and yet not completely sound. Mishra has been changing his statements, and at the same time AAP is now more personality-driven and less goal-driven. There should be a probe into this, rather than this game of allegations and counter-allegations, which will take us nowhere.”

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Given that Mishra was suspended from the cabinet on May 6 — before he levelled these allegations — many in the party said it was a case of “revenge”. MLAs taking this line include Gandhi Nagar’s Anil Kumar Bajpai, Karol Bagh’s Vishesh Ravi, Tri Nagar’s Jitendra Singh Tomar and Sangam Vihar’s Dinesh Mohaniya. “This is bokhlahat on part of Mishra after being removed from his ministership. His story is bogus,” said Adarsh Nagar MLA Pawan Kumar Sharma.

Some even went as far as to say that Mishra’s family has ties with the BJP, which could explain his allegations against Kejriwal.

Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “His mother was a BJP councillor and a former BJP mayor. Despite this, the party believed in him and gave him a long rope. He was given a lot of opportunities which others in the party could have been given. But he did not respect this trust.”

‘CM must respond to allegations’

With the special session of the Delhi Assembly scheduled for Tuesday, senior BJP leaders said the House cannot function if Kejriwal does not respond to the allegations. “AAP is running from everyone instead of responding to the allegations levelled against its top leaders. They have been accusing all party leaders of corruption without evidence. Kejriwal should tender his resignation and allow an independent probe,” a leader said. – ENS