Tension between AKP and Yeniden Refah continues to rise: 'He accused him of treachery'
With only days left until the local elections, candidacy debates are also taking place within the AKP. Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and AKP Şanlıurfa MP Bekir Bozdağ expressed his reaction to former AKP member Kasım Gülpınar, who is running for office from the Yeniden Refah Party in Şanlıurfa, by accusing him of treachery.
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AKP member Bekir Bozdağ targeted Kasım Gülpınar, who resigned to join the Yeniden Refah Party and became their candidate for Şanlıurfa. Gülpınar's response to Bozdağ was not long in coming.
Regarding Kasım Gülpınar, who moved from the AKP to the Yeniden Refah Party, Bozdağ said, "Our President made him an MP for 4 terms in Şanlıurfa. He is responsible for everything here. The good and the bad. Despite it being against the bylaws, our President even took him into the Central Executive Board (MYK) after he served two terms as a member of the Central Decision and Administrative Board (MKYK), two terms as head of the EU harmonization commission, and finally as chief advisor to the chairman.
The only seat he wasn't given in the party was the chairmanship. Our President gave him every position within the party. Now, when he didn't get the candidacy from us, they went and became candidates from another party," he said.
Bozdağ continued as follows:
"Now this is very clear: if you give us a seat, we are with you, but if you don't give us the seat, we are with whoever does. There is no principle here, no ethics. You are erasing our President, who has given you labor, opportunities, and chances for 12 years, in one stroke. They went and made their bargains and moved to the Yeniden Refah Party.
This is not love for Erdoğan; this is treachery against Erdoğan. It is stabbing the AK Party and our President in the back and front. The people of Urfa see it this way.
RESPONSE FROM KASIM GÜLPINAR
Journalist Barış Terkoğlu asked YRP's Şanlıurfa mayoral candidate Kasım Gülpınar about Bekir Bozdağ's statements.
Gülpınar told Terkoğlu the following:
“I did not stab anyone in the back. I said everything openly. The people of Urfa had a demand. They wanted me to be a candidate. I told this to Bekir Bozdağ. I explained this. Moreover, even though I did not want to be a candidate… There is one thing Bekir Bozdağ said that is true. And that is this: I did not say 'I am a candidate.' My intention was not to be a candidate. But I could not turn my back on the people's demand. My intention was not to resign either.
My intention was to respond to the demand of the people of Urfa with my party (AK Party). But they did not see the demand of the people of Urfa. They nominated a candidate that the people did not want, despite the people. Moreover, they were the ones who worked to prevent me from resigning. I even attended the meeting held for this purpose. I tried to find a solution.
If I had made a deal with the Refah Party, if I had the intention of stabbing them in the back, why would I do this? The words spoken by Bekir Bey do not reflect the truth.”