'Arrest Amit Shah': Sisodia on MLA-poaching in Telangana

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday released an audio clip of an alleged Bharatiya Janata Party man purportedly discussing the party's bid to poach Aam Aadmi Party MLAs in the capital and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah's arrest and ouster if he was involved in the matter.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP or Shah.

The senior AAP leader played the audio tape at a press conference and claimed the BJP "dalal" (broker) heard in the clip was one of the three people arrested in Telangana over an alleged bid to poach that state's ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLAs.

Ramachandra Bharati aka Satish Sharma, Nanda Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy were arrested by Telangana Police earlier this week for allegedly trying to coax four TRS legislators into defecting to the BJP.

He also showed their pictures with a senior RSS leader and two Union ministers and said their connection with the BJP rank and file was evident.

"In this audio, the BJP's dalal (broker) can be heard luring a (TRS) MLA to the BJP, saying they were also trying to poach 43 Delhi MLAs and that money had been kept aside for this purpose. He is also saying that he has spoken with Shah and BL Santhosh," Sisodia said.

"If it is Home Minister Amit Shah the BJP dalal is referring to, he should immediately be arrested and questioned," the Delhi deputy chief minister said.

He also demanded that Shah be sacked as the home minister if he was involved in the conspiracy under "Operation Lotus".

Sisodia said the audio tape was a "proof" of the BJP's failed attempt to poach AAP MLAs in Delhi and Punjab and demanded a probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the matter.

"It is very dangerous for a country if its home minister is involved in such a conspiracy," he said.

When asked how the clip substantiated the involvement of the two senior BJP leaders, he said, "If the ED and the CBI find some time, they will come to know who those being referred to as B L Santhosh and Shah in the conversation are."

“Everybody knows B L Santhosh. The BJP's broker has named Amit Shah ji, the country's home minister, as the number two in the recorded conversation,” he added.

Sisodia also demanded a probe into the source of the money used by the BJP for "Operation Lotus".

In a separate press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh demanded that the Election Commission immediately de-recognise the BJP as a political party.

"The BJP has become a kidnapping gang. It is no more a political party as it poaches other party MLAs to topple their government. It has become a group which murders democracy. I demand that the Election Commission immediately de-recognise the BJP," he said.