- India
- International
Even before the Aam Aadmi Party formally inducted former BJP MLA Yatin Oza, he had, in a three-page letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last week, alleged that he was witness to a meeting between BJP chief Amit Shah and AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, wherein they reached an “understanding” about the political line they would take during the 2015 Bihar assembly elections.
On Monday, AAP leader Ashutosh released the letter at a press conference and demanded an explanation from Shah.
BJP Gujarat chief Vijay Rupani called the allegations “baseless and far from the truth”. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma, too, denied the allegations and said, “BJP condemns Kejriwal for his remarks. He is notorious for practising petty politics based on lies and unfounded charges. It is his habit to level baseless allegations and run away when confronted with facts. He is spreading false and factually incorrect claims.”
In a tweet, Kejriwal had said that if Oza’s claims were true, “it reveals real face of BJP-Modi-Shah”.
[related-post]
Watch Video: What’s making news
Owaisi did not respond to calls seeking a comment.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, Oza, who is a senior advocate in the Gujarat High Court, said, “I was Amit Shah’s friend so I accompanied him to Owaisi’s residence for the meeting. I have represented Shah in 10-12 cases, two of which were of a personal nature. The meeting was pre-decided and Shah and I went early in the morning so that the visit goes unnoticed.”
“I emailed Kejriwal the letter and later met him for 15 minutes on Saturday when he visited Rajkot. I am very upset with the Modi government’s constant attacks on the judiciary, which is being made to bend. Modi has even left Indira Gandhi behind in attacking the judiciary. I received calls from several higher ups in the BJP after my letter came out in the media, but I hold nothing personal against anyone,” he said.
“I will submit four CAG reports to Kejriwal on out of turn land allotment done by the Gujarat government and favours given to industries in the state, which led to losses to the state exchequer. While I won’t contest the polls, I have asked AAP to give me charge of the poll campaign,” he said.
In Surat, Ashutosh said, “Shah should clarify if he had a meeting with Owaisi at 3.00 am on September 15, 2015 at his residence. Shah had told Owaisi to put his candidates in the assembly elections in Bihar. Did Shah tell Owaisi to use poisonous hate speeches in his public meetings in Bihar to divide communities?”
(With ENS Delhi)