‘BJP running Op Lotus phase-2’: Arvind Kejriwal at 1st AAP national convention

New Delhi, Sep 18: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, alleging that the party has launched the second phase of Operation Lotus, which he said, was intended to topple the elected governments.

Addressing the first-ever national conclave of his party's elected representatives, Kejriwal also alleged that the Modi government has been trying to frame his party ministers and leaders in false corruption cases as the BJP is ''not able to digest the growing popularity of the AAP in Gujarat''.

The BJP is so rattled by the AAP's growing influence ahead of Gujarat assembly elections that ''the prime minister's advisor Hiren Joshi has warned several TV channels owners and their editors not to give coverage to AAP party in Gujarat, threatening them with dire consequences'', the party's national convenor alleged.

No immediate reaction to Kejriwal's charge was immediately available from the PMO or Joshi.

''Stop doing things. If these editors share the screenshots of Joshi's messages, both the prime minister and his advisor will not be in a position to show their faces to the country,'' Kejriwal said.

''We are going to form a government in Gujarat,'' he added.

In a veiled attack on the prime minister over his 'revadi culture' remark, Kejriwal said the AAP's freebies are being criticised on the ground that providing free facilities to people will ruin the economy of the country.

''Only a dishonest (person), a corrupt and a traitor will say freebies are not good for the country. If any politician says freebies will ruin the country's economy, consider his intentions are wrong.'' Kejriwal said.

"One of the four things they can't bear (in the AAP) is our honesty. Second is the work we have been doing on education... Thirdly, our healthcare facilities - the world is talking about these. And fourth is freebies - which has been dubbed as 'Revri' by them," Kejriwal said.

The AAP chiefs remarks came a day after his party's MLA, Amanatullah Khan, was sent to four-day police custody in a graft case