Kejriwal defends statement on MPs
Undeterred by criticism from political parties, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Monday defended his vitriolic remarks against members of Parliament saying he had stated nothing wrong about them.
Addressing a rally in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh last Saturday Kejriwal had said: “In this Parliament, rapists are sitting. In this Parliament, murderers and looters are sitting.” He had also said that cases of “heinous offences” had been filed againt 163 MPs. This evoked sharp reaction from political parties, who termed his remarks “outrageous”.
Defending his statement on Monday, Kejriwal asserted: “I have not stated anything which is wrong. I have just stated facts. If stating the truth is wrong, I am ready to face the consequences. If you have people sitting in Parliament who face charges of murder, how can you expect them to make a strict law against murders.”
“With this kind of Parliament, what hope does this country have? Will this Parliament be able to deliver Indians out of poverty, corruption and injustice? These are the questions I have raised. What's wrong in that,” he asked.
Kejriwal, who had earned the ire of political parties across the spectrum, took his diatribe to a new level and wrote on micro blogging site Twitter: “Parliament and assemblies are temples of democracy and they watch blue films in temples, tear Bills and throw chairs.”
The Congress launched a counter attack on Kejriwal. “Who is he? What is his identity? What should we do with people, who are guilty of not paying income tax,” asked Congress spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary, when reporters sought her reaction on anti-graft activist’s comments.
