Kejriwal wanted to poach Cong MLAs: What audiotape released by Rajesh Garg reveals

The Aam Aadmi Party is in more trouble as its prominent Maharashtra leader Anjali Damania quit the party on Wednesday after allegations of horse-trading against Arind Kejriwal. The allegations, made by party MLA Rajesh Garg, come as a big embarrassment for the Delhi Chief Minister and his party, especially because they had pointed fingers at the BJP and the Congress during the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections, alleging that the parties were involved in horse trading. [caption id=“attachment_2148089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Arvind Kejriwal in a file photo. PTI[/caption] Kejriwal had taken the moral high ground saying AAP was a democratic party and were different from the others because they did not play dirty politics. However, an audiotape — of a conversation between Garg and Kejriwal in November 2014 — that has been released on Wednesday shows the two leaders having a conversation about breaking the Congress legislative party in Delhi to form government. “I had recorded the conversation. I have been in the anti- corruption movement and I keep on recording conversations. I was strictly against poaching MLAs and I stopped going to the party office after the episode,” Garg said. Kejriwal is heard in the audiotape as saying, “Try and separate the 6 MLAs from Congress so that we get their support.” This was right before the dissolution of the Delhi Assembly in 2014. Garg has alleged that Kejriwal wanted to poach 6 MLAs from the Congress to form government in Delhi. According to India TV, Garg has alleged that Kejriwal was ready poach Congress MLAs, but was scared that if the public got the whiff of what was brewing it would bring embarrassment to the AAP. “Congress won’t support us. We have been trying for the last one and a half month. These six Congress MLAs would have supported BJP, but three of them are Muslims. They won’t support the BJP. Those six MLAs should support us,” Kejriwal allegedly told Garg. The conversation between Garg and Kejriwal purports to show that Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia too was a part of this plan. According to India TV, Garg has alleged that Sisodia was in touch with the Congress MLAs. AAP leader Anjali Damania had tweeted out the video of the India TV report along with her decision to quit. Watch the report with the audio conversation between Garg and Kejriwal here: