AAP spreading rumours, didn’t back confidence motion: Manpreet Ayali

Chandigarh, October 3

SAD legislature wing head Manpreet Ayali said he did not vote in the favour of the government over the confidence motion.

Talking to the media after the Speaker claimed 93 votes (91 AAP MLAs and one each from SAD and the BSP) were cast in the favour of the confidence motion, Ayali said his opposition to it was a recorded fact, but rumours were being spread by AAP that he had supported it.

“Nothing can be further from the truth. It is also unfortunate if anything else except my strident opposition has been recorded in the Vidhan Sabha. I urge Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to correct this falsity immediately and reflect the right position in the case in the Assembly records,” Ayali added.

Earlier, speaking on the motion, he said there was no demand for a confidence motion and that the same was not even on the agenda of the Business Advisory Committee of the Vidhan Sabha. “Also, there was no need to bring a confidence motion when AAP already enjoys an overwhelming majority in the Assembly and no legislator has asked it to prove it.”

Ayali also took the AAP government to task by asking it why it had not made any detail of the so-called “Operation Lotus” public till now. He said even though Finance Minister Harpal Cheema had submitted a written complaint to the DGP, stating that AAP legislators had been offered Rs 25 crore each to switch sides by the BJP, evidence of the same had not been released in the public domain so far.

“No one has been named as an accused in the case and no arrests have been made 18 days after the registration of a case in the matter,” he added.