As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying to extend its footprint across the country, its political battle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also increasing.
In the latest development, Assam Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal against speaking against him during his visit to the state on Sunday, April 2.
Mincing no words, the no-nonsense Assam CM said he will sue Kejriwal right away if the AAP’s national convenor dares to speak against him and levels corruption charges against him.
“I will sue him right away. Let him come and speak against him without any proof. There is no corruption charge against me before agencies, except for some fake cases by the Congress,” CM Sarma said in Guwahati.
“I wanted to file a case against Kejriwal when he spoke against me in the Delhi assembly, like a coward. I will file a case of defamation against him as I did against Manish Sisodia,” Sarma thundered.
CM Kejriwal, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, is scheduled to visit Guwahati, where they will hold a meeting with AAP workers and address the supporters at around 2 pm.
CM Kejriwal and other party leaders remained vocal against Sarma, claiming that the former Congress leader joined the BJP after allegations of corruption were levelled against him.
After rising through the ranks in Congress, Sarma left the Grand Old Party and joined the BJP in 2015.
AAP also named Sarma, along with Bengal leaders Subendhu Adhikari and Mukul Roy, as part of “BJP’s washing machine”, where they get cleaned from corruption charges after joining the BJP.
While the Assam unit of AAP was formed in 2013, the party has so far failed to make an impact or develop a base in the key northeastern state. Currently, the party has two members in local municipalities.
But the party sources told The New Indian that they are strongly looking to make their presence felt in the key northeastern state, aligning with their strategy to expand their base across the country.
For now, the party is planning to contest the 2024 general elections from the state.
CM Kejriwal and CM Mann will meet the party workers and also address them in the afternoon. By evening, both will fly back to their respective states.