New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) On the eve of the crucial civic by-elections in Delhi, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and two-time MLA Rajesh Gupta joined the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva. Criticising AAP National Convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Gupta said that considering workers as “use and throw” is the biggest reason behind the party’s downfall. Gupta became emotional as he recalled his contributions to the AAP and the ill-treatment that he got from Kejriwal in return.

He said that when the AAP was founded, many prominent individuals enthusiastically joined Kejriwal, but he betrayed everyone. “One by one, they all chose to leave him. Today, unfortunately, I have also joined that list,” Gupta said. Gupta said that in the Ashok Vihar ward, AAP has given a ticket to a person who has been issued a notice by AAP itself. Sachdeva welcomed Gupta into the party by offering the traditional party stole in the presence of MLA Rajkumar Bhatia and Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor.

The Delhi BJP chief said that Gupta had created a distinct identity for himself as a responsible MLA, but Kejriwal failed to value his contribution. He added that the way Kejriwal is missing from Delhi and the circumstances under which he left demand close examination. Sachdeva said that the AAP has pushed Delhi into such a poor situation over the last 12 years that its burden has now fallen upon the new government. The BJP government is making efforts to gradually reduce this burden. But Kejriwal, who calls himself Delhi’s son, has completely disappeared because he knows Delhi has now seen his true face.

The Delhi BJP President said that the shortcomings in Delhi being listed by AAP leaders are all linked to their government’s poor performance over 12 years. He said that with Kejriwal and Sisodia missing entirely, former chief minister Atishi and Gopal Rai are merely making “special appearances” for the party in Delhi. “Just as Aurangzeb plundered Delhi, Kejriwal, Sisodia and other senior AAP leaders have also harmed the city. After looting and indulging in corruption, AAP leaders are now comfortably settled in Punjab,” he said.

The AAP leader’s induction into the BJP comes just a day before the civic by-elections. As many as 53 candidates are in the fray for the 12 seats for which the MCD by-elections will be held. The BJP held nine out of the 12 vacant wards where the by-election is scheduled.  The by-elections have assumed significance for the BJP as these are the first political contest in the city since the party returned to power after 27 years in the Assembly elections in February. Some experts are calling the by-elections a virtual referendum on the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta government’s nine-month performance.