AAP calls special session of Delhi assembly; Kejriwal to meet MLAs amid horse-trading claims

New Delhi, Aug 24: The Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi has called for a special session of the Assembly on Friday amid a political slugfest over action by central probe agencies in the Kejriwal government's excise policy and the AAP accusing the BJP of trying to lure its MLAs.

The Assembly session is scheduled to be held from 11 am on August 26.

Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalsummoned all the MLAs of the party tomorrow amid alleged plans of Delhi coup by the BJP.

The AAP has Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making efforts to topple the Delhi government "by hook or by crook", claiming that the BJP approached its four MLAs with an offer of Rs 20 crore to join the saffron party.

Triggering a fresh row and further intensifying the face-off between the two parties, AAP's national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the MLAs Ajay Dutt, Sanjeev Jha, Somnath Bharati and Kuldeep Kumar have been approached by leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with whom they have "friendly relations".

Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said it is "a very serious matter" and a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has been convened at his residence at 4 pm to "take stock of the situation and chalk out further strategy".

"They (the four AAP legislators) have been offered Rs 20 crore each if they join the BJP and Rs 25 crore if they bring other MLAs along with them," AAP national spokesperson Singh said.

"They (BJP leaders) told our MLAs that if they do not accept the offer and join the BJP, they will also have to face false cases, the CBI and the ED, like (Delhi Deputy Chief Minister) Manish Sisodia is facing," he added.

The four AAP MLAs who have allegedly been approached by the BJP were also present at the press conference.

Taking to Twitter, Sisodia warned the BJP-led Centre against making efforts to "poach" AAP MLAs by misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and offering money, and said they will "give up" their lives but will not betray their party as they are the "soldiers" of Kejriwal and followers of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

"After they failed to break me, they have started conspiring to make other AAP MLAs break away (from the party) by offering Rs 20 crore to each of them, threatening them of raids," the deputy chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi. "...they (AAP MLAs) are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal and followers of Bhagat Singh," he said, adding, "They will sacrifice their lives but will not betray (the party). Your ED-CBI is of no use in front of them."