NEW DELHI, July 17: BJP today scoffed at reports that it was trying to lure MLAs of other parties to form Government in Delhi, saying the party has never indulged in horse-trading and will not do so in future.
“BJP has never done any horse-trading, nor will it do so in future. The question does not arise at all,” Home Minister and former BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here.
He also rubbished Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations that BJP was trying to poach some opposition MLAs to be able to form Government in Delhi.
The Home Minister, however, evaded a direct reply on the possibility of BJP forming the Government in the national capital in near future. “Please ask our party President Amit Shah. I am not aware of it. I have no information,” he said.
Asked whether there was any direction to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to take initiatives for Government formation, Singh said no such directive has been given by the Home Ministry. Delhi is currently under President’s Rule after the Kejriwal-led AAP Government resigned in mid-February.
So far the BJP has been refusing to take the plunge citing lack of majority.
Newly-appointed Delhi BJP Chief Satish Upadhyay had yesterday said that the party would consider taking a shot at Government formation if invited by the Lt Governor.
All BJP MLAs and MPs in Delhi are believed to be in favour of the party forming the Government and a final decision on it is expected to be taken when Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from the BRICS summit in Brazil.
Former Delhi Finance Minister Jagdish Mukhi is considered to be in the race for Chief Minister’s post.
BJP will require the support of five additional MLAs to prove majority in the Assembly and party sources said the party was confident of getting them.
BJP had emerged the single largest party after the polls with 32 seats, including one of Akali Dal, in the 70-member Assembly. But it had refused to form Government in December, saying it did not have the numbers and will not resort to any “unfair means” to take the reins.
AAP with 28 MLAs had later formed the Government with support of eight Congress MLAs. BJP’s number came down to 28 after three of its MLAs – Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Bidhuri and Pervesh Verma – were elected to the Lok Sabha. The strength of the Assembly also went down to 67 and the simple majority mark would be 34.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and in-charge of BJP’s affairs in Delhi Nitin Gadkari said the party has not taken any decision on Government formation in the national capital.
“I make it clear that my party has not taken any decision on forming Government,” he said.
“It is up to the party president and our parliamentary board and they will decide… It is the right of the president and the Parliamentary Party to take decision on it,” he said.
Gadkari also termed as “baseless” the allegations levelled against BJP by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
“In the present situation, without any evidence, continuously they (AAP) are making allegations against the Government and the BJP leadership. It is baseless. There is no evidence.
“If they want to prove it, they can take the name of the MLAs (who had been approached), they can take the name of the (BJP) leaders who are involved in it,” Gadkari told reporters outside the Parliament House.
Kejriwal had yesterday charged BJP with trying to buy Congress MLAs after failing to lure AAP legislators.
“After failing to buy any AAP MLA, BJP is now trying to buy 6 Cong MLAs. Price – Rs 20 crore each, 2 ministers and 4 chairmen (sic),” the AAP convener had said in a tweet. (PTI)
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