Arvind Kejriwal wins trust vote in Delhi Assembly

New Delhi, Sep 01: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal won the trust vote in the Assembly on Thursday after the AAP chief alleged that BJP was trying to poach its MLAs to topple the government.

While all the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs present in the House voted in favour of the motion as expected, there was no vote against it due to the absence of BJP legislators.

Three BJP MLAs - Vijender Gupta, Abhay Verma and Mohan Singh Bisht - were marshalled out as they "argued" with Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, who did not heed their demand to take up their calling attention notices before a discussion on the motion. The remaining legislators walked out in protest soon after.

Speaking in the Assembly after confidence motion was passed, Kejriwal said his party's vote share in that state has increased by four per cent after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids against his deputy Manish Sisodia.

He said this vote share will increase by two per cent "if Sisodia is arrested".

"The CBI raided Sisodia, went to his village and searched his bank locker. CBI people said they did not find anything against him but they are under pressure to arrest him," Kejriwal claimed.

Outside the Assembly, he told reporters that Sisodia is a "pauper" and it was obvious that the probe agency could not find anything substantial.

The prime minister has given a "certificate of honesty" to Sisodia and the AAP, he said.

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP tried to buy his party MLAs but none of them accepted the offer.

Trying to project the AAP as an alternative to the BJP, he said there are currently only two parties at the national level - 'Kattar Imandar (hardcore honest) party and Kattar Beimaan (hardcore corrupt) party'.