NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Saturday alleged that the AAP was working in collusion with the BJP for the upcoming Gujarat assembly polls and that the candidates of Arvind Kejriwal's outfit were being decided by the saffron party.
Former Gujarat MLA Indranil Rajguru, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party to rejoin the Congress on Friday, said he was asking for tickets for 15 AAP leaders who were in a strong position to win but tickets were being given to candidates "who could help the BJP in the polls."
"I took a stand against this because I had joined AAP to defeat the BJP, not the Congress. I was told, 'don't be stubborn.' The list comes from Kamalam (BJP office in Gujarat)," Rajguru claimed on Saturday at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.
Rajguru, who had joined the AAP after quitting the Congress in April this year, returned to the grand old party, citing that it was the best option for defeating the BJP in Gujarat. Rajguru also alleged that on October 1 when both AAP chief ministers -- Delhi's Arvind's Kejriwal and Punjab's Bhagwant Mann -- came to Rajkot together in a chartered plane, they brought bags of cash with them.
He said when he asked where the cash came from, it was gestured to him that it came by plane. Rajguru, however, did not substantiate his allegation.
AICC in-charge of Gujarat Raghu Sharma alleged collusion between the BJP and AAP for the assembly polls and asked how it is possible to "bring cash in a chartered plane" without the knowledge of the Centre.
Congress' media department head Pawan Khera said Rajguru became disillusioned with AAP and rejoined the Congress within months of leaving it.
"When we call them (AAP) the B-team of the BJP. Why do they get upset?" he said. These are serious charges and need to be answered by AAP and "their masters", the BJP, Khera said.
Rajguru had on Friday joined the Congress in the presence of AICC Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma, Gujarat Congress chief Jagdish Thakor, Congress legislature party leader Sukhram Rathava and other senior leaders.
The Congress is seeking to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the government in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the saffron party has been in power for more than two decades.
Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases -- December 1 and 5 -- and the votes will be counted on December 8.
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