BJP tried to buy 10 AAP MLAs in Punjab for Rs 25 crore each: Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, Sep 14: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP on Wednesday of attempting to "buy" 10 of his party MLAs in Punjab by offering them Rs 25 crore each.
He also alleged that the saffron party is planning an "Operation Lotus" to poach MLAs from other parties in every state, either with the help of money or the fear of agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
"We came to know on Tuesday that they (BJP) tried to buy MLAs in Punjab by offering them Rs 25 crore each. Ten of our MLAs were approached. They will address a press conference on Wednesday and expose the BJP," Kejriwal said.
"They are buying MLAs and making governments fall, which is dangerous for democracy," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told a press conference here.
He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is using public money to "buy" legislators due to which inflation is rising in the country.
Kejriwal also hit out at the Congress after eight of its MLAs in Goa switched over to the saffron camp, saying the grand old party has failed to prevent its lawmakers from being poached.
"The party that is buying MLAs is dangerous for democracy but the Congress is also at fault. Why only Congress MLAs get poached? Why can't they buy our MLAs despite their attempts?" he asked.
"They (BJP) tried to buy our MLAs in Delhi and now in Punjab, but we exposed them," he added.
Eight Congress legislators in Goa, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday, in a body blow to the opposition party, which is now left with just three MLAs in the 40-member state Assembly.
Later, Kejriwal also took to Twitter and questioned the BJP's source of money to "buy" MLAs.
"After Delhi, these people (BJP) have now reached Punjab to buy our MLAs. Where are these thousands of crores of rupees coming from? They should understand -- we are not the Congress, no one can buy us. The way they are making elected governments fall one by one, this has become a very serious issue for the country and democracy," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
The AAP's Punjab leadership said it will submit a complaint to the director general of police along with evidence in support of its allegation that the BJP is offering Rs 20-25 crore each to its MLAs in an attempt to topple the Bhagwant Mann government.
Replying to a query on a photo being circulated on social media where he is seen travelling purportedly in a chartered plane, Kejriwal said it was a tactic of the saffron party to divert the attention of people from real issues ahead of the Gujarat polls.
"We are getting a good response in Gujarat. They (BJP) never debate on real issues. When you ask them about the condition of schools in Gujarat, they circulate some picture. These are tactics (to divert public attention from issues). Many such things will come up before the polls," he said.
Asked about discrepancies in the delimitation of municipal wards in Delhi, Kejriwal said the AAP will report the issues to the delimitation commission.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
