AAP, OUTRAGED BY SUKESH'S ALLEGATION, CLAIMS THAT THE CONMAN WOULD JOIN THE BJP AS ‘STAR CAMPAIGNER’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims to be the world's largest political party, has reduced to exploiting a 'thug' to get political mileage, according to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj on Saturday. During a news conference here, Bhardwaj launched a stinging assault on the BJP, claiming that a 'thug' by the name of Sukesh Chandrasekhar has become the saffron party's brand ambassador ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections and the Delhi municipal elections.

Chandrashekhar said that former Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain, who is currently in jail on suspicion of money laundering, "extorted" money from him.

"Ever since the Assembly elections in Gujarat and the civic polls in Delhi were announced, the BJP has become very nervous. This can be gauged by listening to the speeches of its national spokespersons and senior leaders.”

The conman, who is lodged at the Mandoli jail in Delhi, had written a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena alleging that Jain “extorted” Rs 10 crore from him in 2019 to ensure his safety in prison, reported news agency PTI.

"Elections in Gujarat and Delhi are pushing the BJP into a fear zone; they`re piggybacking on a conman like Sukesh Chandrasekhar for political mileage. Chandrasekhar has become BJP`s star campaigner ahead of the elections," he said.

In a press statement on Saturday, Chandrasekhar alleged that AAP had collected Rs 50 crore from him and given him a Rajya Sabha seat. He further said that in 2016, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged him to gather 20-30 individuals to give Rs 500 crore to the party in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Chandrasekhar is now being held in Delhi's Mandoli prison on charges of extortion from high-profile individuals and celebrities.