Arvind Kejriwal's Govt Wins Trust Vote With 54 Votes, Dares BJP Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal won the trust vote in the Delhi Assembly on Saturday with 54 votes. The AAP supremo further dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek votes for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party was the biggest challenger to the BJP in the coming polls and that is why it is under attack from the saffron camp.

Out of the 62 AAP MLAs, 54 were present for the voting, and according to Kejriwal, none of the AAP MLAs defected.

“Two MLAs are in jail, some unwell and some out of station,” Delhi CM said.

While addressing the assembly, Kejriwal blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “poaching” and the “condition of Delhi”.

He said, “Your enmity is with me. Why drag the people of Delhi into it? My heart weeps. Someday I’ll write about it.”

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had moved a motion of confidence in the assembly and it was discussed on Saturday in the presence of ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs and the Leader of Opposition, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. Following the discussion, the AAP won the motion of trust.

This is the second time when the Arvind Kejriwal government sought a trust vote. The Aam Aadmi Party has 62 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly and the BJP has eight. “We have majority in the House but this confidence motion was needed because BJP was trying to poach AAP MLAs,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Chief Minister on Saturday appeared before the Rouse Avenue Court through video-conferencing seeking exemption from physical appearance for the day as the Budget session in the Delhi Assembly is going on.

Kejriwal was to appear the court under the summons issued to him on a complaint filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for non-appearance before the agency in connection to a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi liquor scam. Two prominent AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently in jail in connection with the case. Kejriwal has skipped five summons issued by the probe agency.

Here are the top quotes from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s emotional assembly address during the floor test.

• He asked, “How much money have you (BJP) spent in buying MLAs? What is the market rate for MLAs?  Where are you getting 50 crores to buy MLAs?”
• The AAP chief said two things happened in 2014 and 15, BJP got an overwhelming majority at the Centre and AAP in Delhi. “Both have completed 10 years. One party did nothing, so they now want to get votes by sending ED, and CBI officers to the homes of other party’s leaders. But we developed schools, healthcare, and other infrastructure in the national capital.”
• “They have thrown ink, hurled shoes at me. Now they want to arrest me. The Delhi government will not remain stable if that happens, but they can fulfil that dream also,” he said.
• He claimed the AAP would make the country free of the BJP in 2029 and added that the BJP practiced paap ko rajneeti, while the AAP was into punya ki rajneeti.
• He added, “Our riches are in our hearts and not in our bank accounts.”
• He also stated that the AAP is the biggest challenger to the BJP, which is why it is “under attack from all sides.”
• He commented on the numerous past attacks by the BJP and their attempts to arrest him. “You may arrest me but how will you finish Kejriwal’s thoughts?” he questioned.