Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted that if the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was restrained, and section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) abolished, individuals would refrain from joining the BJP. He suggested that leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje, who were overlooked for the chief minister positions in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, could potentially establish their own political entities. Despite their efforts leading to the BJP's victory in recent assembly polls, both Chouhan and Raje were passed over for the respective chief ministerial roles.
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 here.
Sources revealed that during a lunch gathering, Kejriwal stated that AAP and the Congress had mutually agreed to contest the elections separately in Punjab. These remarks reportedly occurred prior to Kharge's arrival at the event. Kejriwal was further cited as indicating ongoing discussions between AAP and the Congress regarding a potential alliance for the Delhi Lok Sabha polls, with a decision anticipated in due course.
In a separate development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reiterated his party's stance from the previous month, affirming that AAP would not forge an alliance with the Congress in the state for the Lok Sabha elections. Mann reiterated his belief that AAP would secure victory in all 13 seats.