AAP lawmaker claims BJP attempted to buy him off

Lal said he was approached by two people on behalf of Narendra Modi a few days ago

An AAP lawmaker alleged Monday he had been approached by BJP leaders, including Narendra Modi, in an attempt to buy him off for Rs.20 crore.

Madan Lal, MLA from Kasturba Nagar, claimed that he had been first approached Dec 7, a day before the Delhi assembly election results were announced.

However, Madan Lal said he has no proof to back his allegations.

Addressing a press conference, he said that just past midnight that day he received a call from an "unknown number" and the person who spoke to him said that he would make him talk to a "big person" and mentioned Arun Jaitley's name.

"I told him to shut up and put down the phone," said Lal.

Recounting a second instance, Lal said he was approached by two people on behalf of Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi a few days ago.

"Two people came to my house to meet him. I asked what they want, and they told me 'We are Modi's people'. I remember the name of one person, Sanjay Singh. Both were in their 40s. I asked them what is the work they had come to me for. They told me to wean away nine AAP lawmakers and form a party and align with the BJP," said Lal.

Lal claimed he was told that if he formed a government with the breakaway MLAs in alliance with BJP and wanted to be chief minister he would be paid Rs.20 crore. The AAP MLAs who wanted to be cabinet ministers would be paid Rs.10 crore each.

He said he had informed the party high command each time he was approached.

In the December 2013 Delhi assembly elections, the AAP won 28 seats in the 70-member house and formed the government with the outside support of the Congress that had won eight seats.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Shoaib Iqbal and an Independent also extended support to the AAP in the assembly.

Of AAP's 28 lawmakers, one was elected speaker and another MLA -- Vinod Kumar Binny -- was expelled for anti-party activities.