The hearing in the defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Friday turned into a show of strength by both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
In an open slanging match between, both leaders did not mince a word to attack each other. Kejriwal openly challenged Majithia to get him arrested within six months if he has courage or the AAP Government will arrest him after coming to power in Punjab after six months.
In return, Majithia said that Kejriwal will not escape the clutches of law by getting bail in the defamation case filed against him. “It is a matter of ‘aaj bail, kal jail’ (bail today, jail tomorrow) for this arrogant leader,” said Majithia, who has filed the defamation case against AAP leaders’ drug-peddling allegations against him.
To avert any ugly situation, heavy police force was deployed en route to district courts from the Circuit House, where Kejriwal was staying. Police Commissioner Amar Singh Chahal himself supervised the security arrangements.
Around 15,000 to 20,000 AAP volunteers gathered near Circuit House to support Kejriwal. They were seen carrying the placards saying, “Main ek var nahin hazaar var kahanga, Bikram Majithia chitte da taskar hai (I will repeatedly say that Majithia smuggles drugs).”
To support Majithia, his supporters had also reached the court complex in large numbers.
Police have, however, stopped AAP volunteers around one km away from the court while a large number of SAD workers had already reached the court complex.
Kejriwal, who reached Amritsar on Thursday night, was granted bail by local court, while fixing October 15 as the next date for hearing. The court, on July 18, had issued summons asking Kejriwal and two other AAP leaders — Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan — in a defamation case filed by Majithia.
Appearing before the Chief Judicial Magistrate on Friday, both Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh furnished bail bonds of Rs 40,000 each, while Khetan would appear before the court on October 15.
“Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh on Friday appeared before the court here which granted them bail. Ashish Khetan has been asked to appear before the court on the next date of hearing which has been fixed as 15 October,” said AAP member and senior lawyer HS Phoolka.
Majithia, on May 20, had filed a criminal defamation case against the three in Amritsar court alleging that the AAP was bent upon tarnishing his and his family’s image by levelling allegations over the drug issue.
KEJRIWAl VOWED TO CREATE ‘NEW PUNJAB’
Attacking the SAD-BJP led government in Punjab, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that he is not scared of the defamation case filed against him and of Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
Vowing to create a “new Punjab” after six months, Kejriwal said: “The people of Punjab will take revenge for each and every case against them. In the coming elections, people will take revenge from Majithia… After six months (I will) reconstruct a new Punjab.”
Kejriwal said that Punjab was in a bad state due to the drug problem and renewed his allegations against Majithia who is the brother-in-law of SAD chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. “Majithia said that I have defamed him. How dare he say thisIJ” he asked.
“I ask you all, who is the drug dealer in PunjabIJ I want to ask him, how many mouths will you shutIJ When I travelled across Punjab, people told me that he files false cases to threaten them,” Kejriwal claimed.
Delhi Chief Minister went on to dare Majithia to get him arrested within six months if he has courage or the AAP government will arrest him after coming to power in Punjab after six months.
“I am not frightened by the case filled by Majithia. He should keep these papers with him, but if he has courage, then he will get me arrested within six month, otherwise after six months, I will get him arrested,” said Kejriwal, while addressing a mass gathering in Amritsar before appearing in the court.
Kejriwal, accompanied by party’s Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh, state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, said that Majithia made the whole Punjab addicted to drugs and now he is trying to frighten us by filling such cases.
“Almost every house of Punjab is addicted to drugs. I have been told by Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan that Majithia is involved in drug trafficking. Not only once, I will repeat this thousand times that Majithia is involved in drug trafficking,” Kejriwal said.
Accusing Majithia of filing false cases against people of Punjab to threaten them, he said: “Badal (Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal) and Majithia are filing false cases against the common people of Punjab. If they can file a false case against me, I can imagine, what they would have done with the people of Punjab.”
MAJITHIA HITS OUT AT ‘ACCUSED’ KEJRIWAl
Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia said that Kejriwal will not escape the clutches of law by getting bail in the defamation case filed against him.
Also appearing before the court, Majithia called Kejriwal and his supporters as ‘Ali Baba and chalis chor’ (forty thieves). “The number of AAP legislators involved in criminal cases has already crossed one dozen mark, and the day is not far when it would cross even 40,” he said.
Taking a dig at Kejriwal’s online interaction programme ‘Talk to AK’, Majithia said that it would now be called ‘Talk to AAK’, the additional ‘A’ standing for ‘accused’. “He may run but he cannot escape the noose of justice,” Majithia added.
“He is heading a team whose members are accused of molestation and exploitation of women and even anti-national activities as done by its MP Bhagwant Mann by sharing live footage of security arrangements of the Parliament. He, however, supports all their actions even as he cries foul when his principal secretary’s office is searched because of severe corruption charges,” said Majithia.
Majithia quipped that the Delhi government is “zero governance and 100 percent nautanki (drama)”.
“Earlier he feared liquidation by the Gandhi family. Now he is making similar accusations against the Prime Minister. The real picture can be gauged from the statement of AAP MlA Naseem Ahmed Khan who has accused Kejriwal of threatening him,” he said.
Majithia added that Kejriwal’s criminal mindset can also be seen by perusing the election affidavit submitted by him which states that he has more than a dozen criminal cases registered against him.
Stressing that Punjabis would put an end to all the ‘nautanki’, the SAD leader said that it appeared Kejriwal’s “fascist” approach had the backing of “some foreign agencies who are bent upon wrecking the hard-won peace of Punjab”.