Shivraj, Raje may form own parties if ED...: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday claimed that if the ED was stopped and section 45 of the PMLA abolished, no one would cross over to the BJP and its leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje may form their own political outfits.

Chouhan and Raje were overlooked by the BJP for the chief minister posts in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively despite ensuring the party's return to power in the assembly polls held recently.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by his side, Kejriwal responded to a question on opposition leaders joining the BJP, saying, "Today, if the ED (Enforcement Directorate) is stopped and section 45 of the PMLA (The Prevention of Money-Laundering Act) is abolished, half of the BJP leaders will quit the party."

"There is only one agency (ED) which is responsible for leaders joining the BJP. No one will join the BJP if PMLA section 45 is removed. Leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje may form their own parties by the evening if section 45 of the PMLA is abolished," the AAP convenor told reporters at a lunch hosted by Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi at his residence.

Meanwhile, sources quoted Kejriwal as saying at the lunch that AAP and the Congress had mutually agreed to contest the polls separately in Punjab.

They added that the Delhi chief minister made the remark before Kharge arrived at the lunch.

Kejriwal was quoted as saying that talks were on between AAP and the Congress for an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls and a decision would be made soon.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said last month that his party would not form an alliance with the Congress in the state for the Lok Sabha elections, reiterating that AAP would win all 13 seats.

AAP and the Congress, both part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), have also been at loggerheads over seat-sharing in Delhi with the Kejriwal-led outfit offering only one seat to the grand old party.

Last week, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said the party was ready to offer one seat to the Congress in Delhi.