Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
India

AAP-BJP War Rages On, Jaitley Terms Charges 'Untruth'

IANS, 17 Dec, 2015 11:03 AM
  • AAP-BJP War Rages On, Jaitley Terms Charges 'Untruth'
The AAP and the BJP were locked in a bitter war on Thursday, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation for corruption and the latter accusing the AAP leader of spreading "untruth and falsehood".
 
Continuing its attack on Jaitley over alleged corruption when he headed Delhi's cricket association, Kejriwal said Jaitley must resign or should be sacked. The BJP and the central government rejected the demand.
 
Responding to Jaitley's defence of himself, Kejriwal asked: "Can Jaitley's denial be taken as gospel truth? Very serious allegations against him. Why is he running away from investigations?
 
"If Jaitley were (to be) let off without investigations on (the) basis of his press denial, then should all coal and 2G (scandal) accused also be similarly let off?"
 
Kejriwal -- who took on Jaitley two days after accusing the CBI of searching his room while targeting his principal secretary Rajendra Kumar, a charge denied by the CBI -- said huge amounts of money were involved in alleged wrongdoing in the DDCA.
 
Jaitley refuted all this, saying Kejriwal believed in "untruth and only falsehood".
 
 
"Free speech is unquestionably a pre-eminent fundamental right, but does free speech include the right to speak only falsehood? Kejriwal seems to believe in untruth and defamation, delivered in a language that borders on hysteria," the BJP veteran said in a Facebook post.
 
Jaitley denied corruption charges levelled against him by the AAP and also the Congress regarding the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which he headed for years.
 
"It is a part of propaganda technique to deflect attention when you yourselves are in the dock. Finding himself acting as a shield to cover an officer under investigation, the Delhi chief minister has attempted to focus attention on me," Jaitley said.
 
Parliamentary Affairs Minister and BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "There is no question of the resignation of Jaitley. They (AAP) are playing their political cards. This is no issue."
 
 
Union minister Smriti Irani said: "Political hysteria is being created to deflect attention from a corrupt officer. AAP has made false allegations."
 
Jaitley added: "I left cricket administration in 2013. By referring to some facts of 2014 and 2015, he (Kejriwal) can't drag me in."
 
Earlier, at a press conference, AAP leaders hurled a string of charges against Jaitley.
 
"A free and fair probe cannot be done as long as Jaitley remains in the post," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said. "So he should be removed."
 
The AAP allegations -- an elaboration of what it spoke about a day earlier -- came two days after the CBI raided the office of the principal secretary to Kejriwal on charges of corruption.
 
Kejriwal insisted that the CBI officials had searched his room too and read the file related to the probe report on the DDCA he had ordered. The CBI denied entering his room. 
 
In a related development, former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi demanded to know that if all was hunky-dory in the DDCA, "then why did the court order the fourth Test (between India and South Africa to be) administered by Justice Mudgal? Will someone please educate me?"
 
Kejriwal, who re-tweeted Bedi's remark, said: "Good point."
 
 
Bedi went on: "Also, if the DDCA house was in order with no corruption, then why did BCCI stop all payment to DDCA and why was incumbent president of DDCA sacked?" Kejriwal again re-tweeted and said: "Agree."
 
Commenting on reports that the BJP had put a gag on its MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad, who has been campaigning against alleged corruption in the DDCA for years, the Delhi chief minister asked: "Is this true? Why is BJP trying to cover up Jaitley's corruption?"

MORE India ARTICLES

Three Arrested In Delhi For Extorting From NRIs From Britain

Three Arrested In Delhi For Extorting From NRIs From Britain
Gaurav Pingolia, 31, and Aman Chhabra, 24 -- both former students of Delhi University -- were arrested along with Pawan Kumar, 24, by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police on Saturday.

Three Arrested In Delhi For Extorting From NRIs From Britain

Free Wi-Fi facility in DTC buses soon: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that free Wi-Fi facility would soon be provided in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses.

Free Wi-Fi facility in DTC buses soon: Arvind Kejriwal

Fanaticism On Rise In India, Bangladesh: Taslima Nasrin

Fanaticism On Rise In India, Bangladesh: Taslima Nasrin
"Is there no freedom of expression in India? It is supposed to be the largest democratic country and a secular one. In that case, why are rationalists being killed," asked Nasrin.

Fanaticism On Rise In India, Bangladesh: Taslima Nasrin

Indian Man's Tweet To Sushma Swaraj Saves Sister From UAE Traffickers

A brother's tweet to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led to the rescue of his sister from human traffickers in United Arab Emirates (UAE),

Indian Man's Tweet To Sushma Swaraj Saves Sister From UAE Traffickers

Five Killed, 100 Wounded; Army Called Out In Riot-Hit Gujarat

Five Killed, 100 Wounded; Army Called Out In Riot-Hit Gujarat
Five people were killed, and over 100 injured as a statewide shutdown in Gujarat called by the Patidar Arakshan Andolan Samiti turned violent

Five Killed, 100 Wounded; Army Called Out In Riot-Hit Gujarat

Daljit Thind Hosts Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar As He Visits British Columbia

Daljit Thind Hosts Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar As He Visits British Columbia
The conference, which was held at Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver and attended by distinguished businessmen and media from B.C., was to highlight the growth and development of Haryana and encourage investors and businessmen to invest in the state.

Daljit Thind Hosts Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar As He Visits British Columbia