"Mother Of All Stings," Says BJP As Video Shows AAP Members Demanding Cash For Tickets For MCD Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (21 November) released a sting video shot by an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteer from north west Delhi's Rohini, exposing sale of tickets for municipal polls by AAP.

The sting was shot by AAP volunteer, Bindu, who, as per the video, was asked to pay Rs 80 lakh for an AAP ticket from the Rohini 54D ward for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls.

In the two videos released, Bindu is seen discussing the payment of money with some conduits of AAP leaders including its North West Delhi Lok Sabha incharge R R Pathania and Rohini Assembly constituency in-charge coordinator, Punit Goel.

Another person appearing in one of the videos, Dinesh Saraf, who claimed to be related to AAP MP in Rajya Sabha Sushil Gupta and Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly, Ram Niwas Goel, are also part of the 'money collection team' of the party.

In the first video, both Goel and Saraf demand Bindu to submit the full amount of Rs 80 lakh in one go so that her name could be included in the list of names they would be recommending to the ticket-deciding committee of the party. Goel claims that only when the full amount is submitted would the committee consider her name for ticket distribution.

In the second sting, Bindu is in a car with Pathania, whom she approaches to confirm the details shared by Goel. In the video, Pathania calls Goel "his man" and admits to have introduced him to the top leadership of the party. Pathania also pushes Bindu to do as Goel says.

As per both Goel and Pathania, the list of candidates who have submitted their money would then go to the five-member Political Affairs Committee (PAC). This includes AAP minister Gopal Rai, MLAs Durgesh Pathak, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi as well as Adil Khan.

The videos also bring across AAP's modus operandi of 'selling tickets' that include demarcating areas of influence as well as defining mode of collection in cash and in cheque.

BJP's national spokesperson, Sambit Patra, called it the "mother of all sting operations" and reminded of the time when AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal would tell his party volunteers to carry out stings against anyone indulging in corruption.

Bindu, he said, had followed Kejriwal's footsteps and brought the true face of the party out.

BJP MLA from Rohini, Vijender Gupta, alleged that AAP leaders also sold tickets during the 2020 assembly polls, and demanded an Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) probe.