'Buying votes': Kejriwal writes to RSS chief on BJP's 'wrongdoings'
What's the story
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has written an open letter to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, flagging the alleged misdeeds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections. In his letter, Kejriwal accused BJP leaders of "openly buying votes by distributing money" and asked if the RSS endorses such behavior. He also alleged that the BJP is deleting votes of marginalized communities, including Dalits and Purvanchalis, on a large scale.
Democracy concerns
Kejriwal questions RSS's stance on BJP's alleged misconduct
Kejriwal's letter comes amid reports that the RSS may back the BJP in the upcoming elections. He asked Bhagwat if he condones these actions, saying, "Don't you think that the BJP is weakening Indian democracy in this way?" Reacting to Kejriwal's allegations, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva asked him to "stop lying" and making false promises.
Counter-accusations
BJP dismisses Kejriwal's allegations, advises truthfulness
Sachdeva slammed Kejriwal, asking him to not accept donations from "anti-national forces" and to make honest promises to Delhi's citizens. Separately, Kejriwal has also accused the BJP of tampering voter lists in his constituency. He alleged that 11,000 voter deletion applications were filed in one area alone but were stopped by the Chief Election Commissioner's intervention.
Twitter Post
Read the full letter here
AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal writes to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2025
"Whatever wrong BJP has done in the past, does RSS support it? BJP leaders are openly distributing money, does RSS support buying votes? Dalit and Purvanchali votes are being cut on a large scale, does RSS think this… pic.twitter.com/GjGaFfCxeA
Election concerns
Kejriwal alleges voter list tampering in his constituency
He further alleged that "Operation Lotus," which he termed as efforts to manipulate elections, has reached his New Delhi constituency. He said a large number of applications for adding and deleting names from the voter list could impact 12% of the constituency's votes. The AAP leader urged the Election Commission to keep a strict watch to prevent such practices. He had also written to Bhagwat in September, asking him five questions about the BJP and its leadership.