BJP Buying Votes by Distributing Money and Getting Voters’ Names Deleted: Kejriwal

New Delhi: In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has dashed off a letter to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, accusing the BJP of “buying votes by distributing money” and getting voters’ names deleted. He asked “if the RSS endorsed such wrong actions committed by the BJP”. Hitting back, the BJP urged the former chief minister to adopt five resolutions in the New Year and give up his “bad habits of lying and cheating”. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also slammed Mr Kejriwal for writing the letter to the RSS chief and labelled him as a “Sanghi”.

In a letter dated December 30, Mr Kejriwal said: “There are reports in the media that the RSS will seek votes for the BJP in the Delhi election. Is this true? Before this, people wanted to know whether the RSS supports the wrong actions done by the BJP in the recent past?”

Mr Kejriwal said: “Efforts are being made on a large scale to cut the votes of poor, Dalits, people from the eastern region and slumdwellers even though these people have been living here for many years. Does the RSS think that doing this is right for Indian democracy… Don’t you think that the BJP is weakening Indian democracy in this way?”

In a counter-attack, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva wrote to the AAP chief on Wednesday, asking him to adopt five resolutions. He said: “Today, on the first day of New Year 2025, all the people of Delhi hope that you will bring about meaningful change in yourself by giving up your bad habits of lying and cheating… On my request, you must take at least these five resolutions this year. I trust you will never swear falsely on your children again, You will stop playing with the sentiments of women, elderly and religious people of Delhi by making false promises…”

Mr Sachdeva also asked Mr Kejriwal to apologise to people “for promoting alcohol, committing corruption and (not) cleaning the Yamuna”. He said: “You will pledge not to meet or take donations from anti-national forces for political gain… I hope that by adopting these suggestions of mine, you will bring about meaningful improvement in your life by keeping away from lies and deceit… may God give you the strength to follow the right path.”

Rajya Sabha MP and BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Mr Kejriwal’s letter was nothing but a bid to grab “media attention”. He asked the AAP chief not to write to the RSS, but learn from it. “Learn the spirit of service (from the RSS and its affiliates). Leave behind your political moves.”

Reacting sharply to Mr Kejriwal’s letter, Mr Dikshit said: “I don’t understand the relevance of this letter. A person complaining to his own people or writing to his own people shows his connections. We have always said that Kejriwal has connections with the Sangh. For this, we use the term ‘Sanghi’.”

Mr Dikshit, who is contesting against Mr Kejriwal from the New Delhi Assembly seat, said no Congress leader or any leader opposing the RSS ideology would write such a letter. If one has an issue, they should write to the BJP, not the Sangh. The need to write to the RSS arises because he has always seen the ‘Sangh’ standing with him. It’s well known that during the anti-corruption movement, the Sangh supported it entirely. Today, the real colour of Kejriwal has come out.”