The change-makers or the new-era politicians of Delhi’s Aam Admi Party are on the defensive, battling allegations of corruption. A web portal ‘Media Sarkar’ has claimed to have done a sting operation on AAP’s telegenic candidate Shazia Ilmi and several others, allegedly catching them on tape expressing their willingness to accept cash for favours.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has termed it a conspiracy. Psephologist-turned-politician Yogendra Yadav has accused the sting operators of doctoring the video. AAP leaders have sought directions from the Election Commission, promising voters that if the EC finds merit in the allegations against of any AAP candidate they would all be withdrawn from the fray.
The ball now is in the EC’s court. With the portal refusing to share the unedited, raw footage with the AAP leadership, the material could not be reviewed or the allegations independently substantiated by the party. The portal insisted that it would hand over the footage only to the EC.
Controversial yoga guru Ramdev too joined issue on Friday attacking the AAP. He wanted the AAP to use its election symbol “broom” on itself before trying to clean the larger political world. With corruption being the AAP’s only poll issue and moral rectitude its sole calling card, even an entrapment by an unknown portal can dent its image.
The Congress and the BJP have pounced on the AAP over the sting, which was aired on TV on Thursday evening, making the Delhi elections murkier than ever. The BJP, which earlier rode on the anti-corruption campaign unleashed by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal against the Congress government and Sheila Dixit in particular, has now turned the heat on Kejriwal for “minority appeasement” too.
The Congress, on the other hand, still feels that the AAP can absorb the anti-incumbency votes to the ruling party’s advantage. But with both the major parties taking pot-shots at the AAP using the audio recordings and visuals of the alleged entrapment, it will sting for sure.