DDCA row: BJP demands 'public apology' from Kejriwal

The BJP today demanded "public apology" from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for levelling allegations against Arun Jaitley on the DDCA issue, saying a report of the city government has found no evidence against the Finance Minister.

Party spokesperson M J Akbar said the DDCA file which Kejriwal made his basis to attack Jaitley over the CBI raid and affairs of the cricket body does not name Jaitley.

"The truth is out. The report does not name Jaitley. There is no allegation against him, there is no indication (of wrong doing). The Delhi Chief Minister, we believe, should apologise to Jaitley for his allegations...he should publicly apologise.

"He should also admit his fault in the court (where Jaitley has filed a civil defamation suit against the CM and other AAP members)," he told a press conference here.

He claimed that after a "conspiracy" by the then Congress government, the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) had made an enquiry and found nothing against Jaitley, a former DDCA chief, "though it was a Congress government."

He said in his press conference Kejriwal had attacked Jaitley alleging that the CBI raid was carried out for the DDCA file. "Now the CM himself is trapped...his own team has found no allegation against Jaitley," Akbar said.

The BJP spokesperson said after the November 15 report became public, AAP is trying to wriggle out of the situation, saying the investigation was not meant to name any person. "But there are names in the report...you don't run government with tamasha (drama)," he said.

The Opposition had stalled Parliament in the Winter session over corruption charges in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), and Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the central government over the controversy.

Jaitley headed the DDCA for about 13 years till 2013, although he was not involved in its day-to-day activities as noted by the SFIO that gave him a clean chit during the UPA regime.

"Jaitley committed no mistake. But I think Kejriwal committed every mistake," Akbar said.

BJP National Secretary Srikant Sharma, who was also present at the press conference, used the opportunity to attack Congress, saying the party cannot "scare" the BJP and the Narendra Modi government by levelling such allegations.

"Congress is out on bail in the Rs 5000 crore case. They cannot scare us as our resolve against corruption is strong," he said referring to the National Herald case.

He said both Congress and AAP are "cousins" and were targeting the BJP together. "I ask them to prove even one allegation of corruption," he said.

He claimed that even if Kejriwal apologises to Jaitley over the DDCA issue, the defamation suit would continue.

"You levelled charges to defend your Principal Secretary facing CBI probe. You raised slogans against corruption and now you are defending the corrupt," he said.He claimed that AAP was diverting attention from the key issues of governance on which the city government has failed.