New Delhi: In an exclusive interview with India TV, Aam Aadmi Party leader and spokesperson Kumar Vishwas said that Arvind Kejriwal has not said anything wrong in the telephonic conversation which was leaked two days ago. The Delhi chief minister can be heard discussing a proposition with Rajesh Garg to break Congress MLAs to support his party so that he could form the government in Delhi.
The audio conversation recorded by Rajesh Garg was leaked on Wednesday and was first played by India TV. To clarify his party's stand on the allegations of horse-trading, Kumar Vishwas talked to India TV Managing Editor Ajit Anjum.
Vishwas said, “We've to first confirm the authenticity of the tape and then only we can discuss what Kejriwal said in it.”
However, Kumar went on to discuss its content, hinting that the tape might be authentic. He said, “We wanted to form a government in Delhi and also gave a letter to Lieutenant Governor in this regard. If Kejriwal resigns, people call him ‘bhagoda' and if he is looking for possibilities to form a government, they some say that he is indulged in horse-trading.”
Also Read: Exclusive: Kejriwal encouraged horse-trading to form govt, claims Rajesh Garg
Vishwas said that even if the tape is authentic, it does not imply that Kejriwal was doing anything wrong. He asked, “whether he is talking about offering money or ministerial post to anyone? Those six MLAs were to form another party and Kejriwal is only asking if they would be willing to give outside support to the government.”
He said that Kejriwal is not saying anything wrong in conversation. “It would've been wrong if he had offered ministerial berth to Asif Khan or speaker's post to Shoaib Iqbal but he is not doing any such thing,” he added.
Also Read: Yogendra Yadav comes to Kejriwal's defence, says 'stings' released to discredit AAP
However on the question if his party would form a committee to investigate the audio tape, Vishwas did not give a clear answer and seemed to dodge the question.
Vishwas also hit out at BJP and its coalition partner PDP in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Kejriwal is only asking for outside support and not for coalition government like the BJP has formed with PDP whose leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is known for his anti-national statements.
In his interview, Kumar Vishwas hinted that AAP would fight assembly elections in other states including Punjab. He said, “BJP and Congress will have to answer for the drug addictions in Punjab, for the land the farmers have lost.”
The noted Hindi poet who has now turned to politics, Vishwas said that AAP ruled Delhi will become first corruption free state in India very soon. “We'll keep fighting against the corruption spread in the country,” he said.
