Delhi Chief Minister & AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, in Chandigarh, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022.
Highlights
- A major controversy erupted after Kumar Vishwas accused Kejriwal of colluding with separatist forces
- Vishwas had claimed that Kejriwal in 2017 said he would become either Punjab CM or PM of Khalistan
- Kejriwal has termed the allegtion as a 'comedy'. He said 'corrupt parties have united against AAP'
Aam Admi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday categorically rejected allegations of colluding with separatists levelled by former party colleague Kumar Vishwas. Addressing a press conference in Bathinda, Kejriwal called them 'comedy' while described himself as the 'world's sweetest terrorist'.
"I am probably the sweetest terrorist in the world -- the one who builds hospitals, schools, and roads; sends the elderly to pilgrimage and gives free electricity to people," the AAP chief said.
Kejriwal said that BJP and Congress leaders are saying that for 10 years, "Arvind Kejriwal has been planning to bifurcate the country into two parts and aims to become the prime minister of one part"
"This is comedy. If their allegations are to be believed, I am a big terrorist. In this case, what were security agencies doing in last 10 years," he said.
Kejriwal is facing criticism from rival parties leaders including those over Kumar Vishwas' charge of colluding with separatist forces to gain power in Punjab. According to Kumar's claim, Kejriwal did not express any opposition to the idea of Khalistan and instead supported it, stating that in the said case, ‘he will happily become the Prime Minister of an independent state of Khalistan'.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal asked, "If Prime Minister Modi knew that I'm a pro-separatist, why didn't he prove or investigate these charges."
Stating that all the corrupts have united against the AAP, he said, "All the parties Akali Dal, BJP, Congress have come together. All leaders including Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Sukhbir Badal, Charanjit Singh Channi and Captain Amarinder have come together to defeat AAP...Bhagwant Mann is an honest man."
"They are all speaking the same language. It looks like they have a chat on a video call or conference call at night...What is our fault," Kejriwal said.
"The sequence is interesting -- Rahul Gandhi was first to make this allegation against me; PM Modi used the same language the next day, & Priyanka Gandhi & Sukhbir Singh Badal followed suit. No one had ever imagined that PM would copy Rahul Gandhi," the AAP leader told reporters.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has urged PM Modi to order a probe into the allegations of 'separatism' against Kejriwal levelled by Vishwas. Vishwas had left the Aam Aadmi Party in 2018 which he founded along with Kejriwal.
The 117-member Punjab Assembly is slated to go to the polls on February 20. Kejriwal's AAP has emerged as a major political force in the state where it won 20 seats in the 2017 polls, thus becoming the principal Opposition party in the Legislative Assembly.
READ MORE: 'Kuch bhi keh deta hai...': Arvind Kejriwal hits back at Kumar Vishwas after his Khalistan claims
