Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 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

More Than 62 Lakh Toilets Built Under Swachh Bharat Mission

More Than 62 Lakh Toilets Built Under Swachh Bharat Mission
The government has built 62.38 lakh toilets in 2015-16 as part of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), parliament was informed on Wednesday.

More Than 62 Lakh Toilets Built Under Swachh Bharat Mission

November Home Sales In Vancouver Up 40 Per Cent From Year Ago, Board Says

November Home Sales In Vancouver Up 40 Per Cent From Year Ago, Board Says
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales on the Multiple Listing Service in Metro Vancouver totalled 3,524 last month.

November Home Sales In Vancouver Up 40 Per Cent From Year Ago, Board Says

Sania Mirza Demands To Be Chief Guest Include Chartered Plane, Expensive Make-up Kit

If Sania Mirza was not present as the chief guest of Madhya Pradesh government’s annual sports awards, blame it on her make-up kit worth Rs 75,000 and a chartered plane, neither of which was provided to her.

Sania Mirza Demands To Be Chief Guest Include Chartered Plane, Expensive Make-up Kit

Rains, Floods Devastate Chennai; Rs.15,000 Crore Loss Estimated

Rains, Floods Devastate Chennai; Rs.15,000 Crore Loss Estimated
The financial loss may exceed Rs.15,000 crore, an industry lobby body said, as weather forecasting agencies predicted heavy rain to continue for at least the next two days.

Rains, Floods Devastate Chennai; Rs.15,000 Crore Loss Estimated

Centre Should Come Clean On 'Secret' Meet With Sharif: Congress

Centre Should Come Clean On 'Secret' Meet With Sharif: Congress
The Congress also wanted to know from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government if issues of concern had been raised by him. 

Centre Should Come Clean On 'Secret' Meet With Sharif: Congress

Spurned Suitor Held For Raping Girl, Killing Her Cousin In Delhi

Spurned Suitor Held For Raping Girl, Killing Her Cousin In Delhi
Raj Kumar, a resident of Bihar, was arrested on Friday from a cement godown in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur city where he fled after committing the crime and started working.

Spurned Suitor Held For Raping Girl, Killing Her Cousin In Delhi