New Delhi: The political slugfest between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and BJP escalated again after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Delhi Secretariat today morning.
Arvind Kejriwal contended that Rajendra Kumar was just an excuse and that he was the main target. The CM also raised the issue of the CBI raiding “his office” and not the Education department to which the allegation was related to.
The AAP chief in a stern warning to Modi also thundered that he is not going to be cowed down by any CBI raid. “I'm telling you Modiji, you may have scared others but I'm not among those who can be intimidated. I'll fight till my last breath.”
The Delhi CM said, "If Rajendra Kumar did wrong as Education secretary, then the CBI should have raided the Education department. If the tenders were wrong, why didn't the CBI raid offices of ministers in Sheila Dikshit government?" Kejriwal said.
“They (CBI) had come to search for DDCA files which have Jaitley ji's name, as he had been President of DDCA & probe is on,” said Kejriwal. “If Rajendra Kumar gave wrong tenders during his tenure as VAT commissioner, then that file will be with VAT department," he added.
CBI raid at Delhi Secretariat and claimed the real reason for the action was to look for a file of alleged graft in Delhi's cricket body that “traps” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley dismissed the allegations, dubbing it “rubbish”.
Jaitley said, "This morning's statement appeared to be prima facie incorrect. But the evening one seemed to be absolutely rubbish and I do not think I need to respond to this rubbish," Jaitley said.
The Delhi Chief Minister said he was not scared of the Centre's action.“I am not scared of you. You do not know what I am made of,” he told reporters, resolving to continue the fight.
“I am surprised at the raids at my office,” Kejriwal told reporters in the evening, hours after he broke the news of the raid with a tweet “CBI raids my office”, as the CBI team reached the third floor of Delhi Secretariat.
The Delhi CM once again said that his government was strictly against corruption and he will not spare his own son if he was found guilty of corruption.
The issue also caused ruckus in the parliament and led to repeated disruptions in the Rajya Sabha. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has clarified that the raids had nothing to do with Kejriwal's office or his tenure as Delhi chief minister.
Amid charges and counter-charges, Kejriwal claimed his office was raided which was denied by CBI as well as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha where the opposition created an uproar. The chief minister claimed he was in fact the target and that Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar was just an excuse.
