Chandigarh: AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu accused the BJP and Union home minister Amit Shah of a “coordinated attempt” to weaken AAP by “misusing central agencies and engineering defections” of its MPs, using Raghav Chadha as a tool to execute this plan.Addressing a press conference, Pannu alleged, “Amit Shah is actively working to weaken AAP by engineering defections and using Raghav Chadha as a tool to execute this plan. There are credible reports within the party that Amit Shah offered Raghav Chadha a Union ministerial position if he succeeds in breaking at least seven AAP MPs and bringing them into a new political outfit.” He said, “A new party is being formed through Raghav Chadha with the backing of the BJP, and efforts are underway to lure AAP MPs into joining it. Our MPs are being pressured through false ED raids, intimidation tactics and coercion.” Launching a direct attack on Chadha, he said, “The party elevated him to Parliament at a very young age, but he has now stabbed Punjab in the back.” Pannu accused BJP of repeatedly attempting to topple govts in states where it is not in power by using money power, fear and central agencies. “They failed in Delhi, and they failed in Punjab because AAP leaders and legislators are committed to a mission and cannot be broken,” he said. He claimed that in Punjab repeated attempts have been made to destabilise it. “Our MLAs were offered money, threatened and lured with false promises. Claims were made that dozens of MLAs were in contact, but nothing materialised because our leaders are committed to public service,” he said. He said, “The recent ED raids on AAP MPs are part of a larger strategy to create pressure. These MPs are businessmen, and never before have such raids been conducted against them. This is clearly politically motivated.”
