Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party will not be scared by civil and criminal defamation suits filed against him and five other AAP leaders by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and asked him to prove his innocence before the inquiry commission.
Mr Kejriwal suggested that Mr Jaitley should instead cooperate with the commission of inquiry formed by the Delhi government to probe the alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association.
“Mr Jaitley should not try to scare us by filing cases against us. Our battle against corruption shall continue. Jaitleyji should cooperate with the commission of inquiry and prove his innocence there,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.
Mr Jaitley on Monday filed both civil and criminal defamation cases against Mr Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him and sought '10 crore in damages and their prosecution for offences that entail a punishment of up to two years in jail.
The chief minister’s decision to brazen it out became clear on Sunday night itself as the other AAP leaders named by Mr Jaitley in his defamation suit had stuck to their guns and continued to target the finance minister. “Setting aside his ministerial responsibilities, Jaitleyji is making the rounds of the courts. But we won’t let the matter get buried this time around. We will continue to hold him corrupt in DDCA affairs,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
Mr Jaitley should not “threaten” us with jail and should instead focus on replying to the specific queries raised by us, AAP leader Ashutosh said. The Union finance minister has rubbished the allegations of irregularities against him. Mr Kejriwal and the five AAP leaders have publicly been making allegations against Mr Jaitley with regard to the DDCA affairs although some of the allegations have gone beyond that. Senior BJP leaders have accused the AAP of attempting to reduce the stature of Mr Jaitley in public life.
