Hours After Kejriwal’s ‘Not Easy To Buy AAP Lawmaker’ Tweet, Party’s MLA Anil Bajpai Joins BJP

Gandhi Nagar MLA Anil Bajpai jumped ships to join Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), hours after Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said it would not be easy to buy AAP lawmakers, the Hindustan Times reports.

Kejriwal’s statement had come in response to BJP leader Vijay Goel’s claim that 14 AAP MLAs were in touch with BJP. According to the Union minister, the MLAs wanted to quit AAP due to “frustration and humiliation”.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal took to Twitter and said, “Modi Ji, would you topple the state government by buying MLAs of every opposition party? Is this your definition of democracy? And where do you get so much money to buy the MLAs? You have tried to buy our MLAs many times. Buying the AAP lawmakers is not easy.”

Bajpai, who joined BJP hours after the tweet, said, “I worked with the AAP for many years. I was hurt by the lack of respect and the peculiar functioning of the party. It has detracted from its original path.” Bajpai now becomes the second AAP lawmaker to join BJP in the last two months. Three AAP municipal councillors have also joined BJP.

The lawmaker rejected the claim of having taken money to join BJP, stating that the Delhi CM has a habit of making allegations and then apologise for them.