AAP workers protest outside Arun Jaitley's home. BJP supporters hold counter protest
The area outside BJP leader Arun Jaitey's home turned into contested turf today with competing protests - one by his own party, the BJP, and the other by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party or AAP.
The first mover was AAP, whose workers shouted slogans against Mr Jaitley because he has been accused by its leaders of offering bribes to bring down the Delhi government led by Mr Kejriwal. The BJP's workers then arrived carrying placards that declared, "Kejriwal chor hai (Kejriwal is a thief)."
(Watch video here)AAP has offered no evidence in support of its allegations against Mr Jaitley, who called them "pathological liars". He said today, "They are comfortable with street protests and seem to think this is governance.Those who cannot run government resort to this kind of political gimmickry. AAP's politics is that of lies and fraud."
Mr Kejriwal heads a minority government. Yesterday, one of his 27 lawmakers, a man named Madan Lal, told reporters that he had been approached by men who claimed they were representing Mr Jaitley and the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Mr Lal claims that the intermediaries offered him 20 crores in return for arranging a split in AAP.
He was also allegedly promised that if he delivered, he would be made the new chief minister of Delhi with the support of the BJP.
AAP today said it backed its MLA. "The BJP is conspiring against us. Are they the icon of governance? We have achieved what they couldn't," said the party's Ashutosh.
In December, AAP registered a Richter-topping performance in the first election it contested, placing second in Delhi. It is propped up by the Congress.