BJP lashes out at CM after his apology to Jaitley

Targeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after his apology to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a defamation case here on Monday, BJP Delhi president Manoj Tiwari accused the AAP national convenor of having become the “most non-credible face” in Indian politics.

Mr. Tiwari alleged that in less than six years of being part of public life, Mr. Kejriwal, “who entered the political arena pretending to be an anti-corruption crusader had sought to grow in stature and took upon himself the task of levelling unfounded allegations against established political leaders such as Mr. Jaitley, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Bikramjit Singh Majithia”.

“Within a couple of years of being challenged in court, people are now witness to Mr. Kejriwal’s backtracking on his allegations. Most Indians were frustrated due to reports of corruption in public life a couple of years back and at that time Mr. Kejriwal simply played with people’s emotions to rise in the political arena,” Mr. Tiwari said.

The BJP leader further said that it was due to the “unethical politics” played by Mr. Kejriwal to defame opponents that he had ended up not only “tarnishing his own image but had put the very credibility of (the) political system at stake”.

Whether it be in relation to development or crucial issues like sealing, the north east Delhi MP alleged, the Kejriwal-led government and its MLAs have “let down the people of Delhi”.

‘What of the workers?’

“Many of Mr. Kejriwal’s MLAs have been involved in atrocities on women and economic scams and are disappointing the people of the national capital; and, after these repeated apologies on their unfounded allegations on opponents, the people of Delhi don’t find them trustworthy anymore,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas told reporters, “In Punjab, lakhs of pamphlets were distributed against Majithia and then you [Arvind Kejriwal] suddenly apologised. Arun Jaitley will accept your apology but what about the party workers against whom cases are registered?”

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Delhi Assembly session on Monday, Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that Mr. Kejriwal’s decision to apologise was aimed at ending the various cases against him so that he could focus on governance.