Kirti Azad calls Kejriwal a coward, dares Jaitley to sue him

BJP MP Kirti Azad on Monday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for tendering an apology to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his comments on the irregularities in DDCA.

On an apology spree, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal apologised to Arun Jaitley, who had filed a defamation case against him and several of his colleagues for defamatory allegations made in public.

Azad told NH, “Kejriwal had evidences and all the reports, including forensic reports… there were as many as 62 violations of the Companies Act. There are clear evidences of money siphoned off.”

Then why did Kejriwal apologise?

“He is a coward,” replied the BJP MP.

“My stand has nothing to do with his apology and I still maintain that fraud worth more than 400 crores took place during Jaitley’s term as the DDCA head,” he said.

“In fact, this whole defamation suit action was taken by Jaitley to delay the court proceedings in DDCA matter,” claimed Azad, adding, “I’ve been speaking against him forever, so much that the party has suspended me.” If Jaitley is a clean man as he claims, then why did he not file a defamation case against me,” he asked.

“It’s unfortunate that CBI has not filed an FIR in three years and before an FIR is lodged, the CBI cannot question Jaitley. When they have various reports claiming Jaitley’s role, including the one by a former High Court judge, what is restraining the Central Bureau of Investigation from filing the FIR?”

In December 2015, Arun Jaitley filed the first of the two civil defamation cases against Kejriwal and AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpayee, claiming that they made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

“BJP almost begging me for an apology. Sorry. I won't oblige them. Let Jaitley ji be cross-examined in defamation cases. Let truth prevail,” Kejriwal had tweeted on 28 Dec 2015.

“Mr Jaitley, don't threaten us with defamation. Answer the questions we had asked. You will take us to court ? we will take you to people's court,” AAP leader Ashutosh had tweeted on 20 Dec 2015. He too has apologised along with Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha.

A former confidante of the Delhi CM and founding member of AAP, Kumar Vishvas, however, has refused to join Kejriwal in tendering the apology. Talking to Patrika, Vishvas said, “the CM is busy saving himself and his ministers from court cases but he has forgotten more than 1600 party workers who are also facing false criminal cases.” “If I apologise, all the 1600 people will be betrayed,” the poet-politician added.

Political circles feel there is more to the apology than meets the eyes. A theory doing the rounds is that the Delhi CM has virtually been blackmailed into apologising by a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from Delhi. “ It is not a coincidence that BJP leaders are so quick in accepting the apology,” exclaimed a political observer.