AAP alleges BJP engineered councillor defections after Indraprastha Vikas Party merger

New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party on Friday alleged that the merger of the Indraprastha Vikas Party with the BJP vindicated its claim that councillor defections from the party were orchestrated to help the BJP retain control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the development showed that the Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP) was formed to conceal the BJP's alleged role in the defections before eventually merging with it. Sixteen councillors of the IVP, a breakaway faction of the AAP, merged with the BJP on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra. "This development comes as no surprise. We knew from day one that the BJP was behind this entire operation of engineering defections and was determined to retain control of the MCD through the back door," Bharadwaj said. He alleged that the IVP was formed to create an impression among people that the BJP had no role in the defections from the AAP. "Those who left the AAP and have now merged their party with the BJP have betrayed the people of Delhi. Delhiites elected them by voting against the BJP, but they have now joined the BJP itself," he said. Bharadwaj claimed that people had voted the BJP out of power in the MCD after being dissatisfied with its 17-year rule and alleged that the civic body’s condition had deteriorated due to corruption and mismanagement. The AAP leader said the party would continue to raise issues related to the functioning of the MCD and claimed that the people of Delhi would respond to what he called a betrayal of their mandate. Welcoming the IVP councillors into the BJP, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said they took a big decision keeping in mind Delhi's development. "It is a good signal that will speed up development in their wards," Gupta told a press conference. "Development of the city is the top priority of the BJP government. The joining of the IVP councillors will further strengthen the BJP in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and boost civic work in their municipal wards," she said. Malhotra said the IVP was formed around one-and-a-half years back by councillors led by Mukesh Goel and Hemchand Goel, who witnessed the "lack of development" under the AAP mayor in Delhi. The IVP councillors also took membership of the BJP after joining the party, Malhotra said. PTI SHB SHB MDO MDO