BackKejriwal to campaign against Khurshid in Farrukhabad
Also attacks SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari on the issue
Premium(Hindustan Times)
New Delhi: Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal will take the campaign against Union law minister Salman Khurshid over the alleged misappropriation of funds from a trust run by the latter to Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Kejriwal said he would resume his attack in Farrukhabad, the minister’s constituency, on 1 November. This came a day after Khurshid defended himself against the accusations.
“We are getting more documents against Khurshid. The public will make a disabled person fight against him in the next elections and defeat him," Kejriwal told supporters in New Delhi on Monday at the end of a four-day protest against Khurshid.
The former Anna Hazare aide also attacked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari on the issue.
“He (Singh) too has been exposed. He does not speak. Congress and BJP are hand in glove. In a couple of days, Gadkari will be exposed," Kejriwal said.
Khurshid and his wife Lousie Khurshid defended themselves on Sunday against alleged charges of misappropriation of government funds by a charity run by them for disabled people. The accusations came as the ruling Congress performed poorly in two by-elections.
In Lucknow, the Economic Offences Wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police started collecting documents in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Congress party and the United Progressive Alliance government strongly backed Khurshid. At least two cabinet ministers, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, made their support public. “There is no question of isolation or not backing (Khurshid)," Soni told reporters.
Saying that Khurshid had “effectively countered" the alleged charges, the ruling Congress party on Monday rejected the demand for his resignation.
“Much of what is being said is perhaps over. We will leave it to the enquiry and the case to see what happens," Sandeep Dikshit, a Congress party spokesperson, told reporters on Monday.
The BJP stepped up the campaign against the law minister.
“Questions have been raised about a non-governmental organization run by Salman Khurshid and we give credit for this to the media," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, avoiding mention of Kejriwal. “There should be independent and impartial investigations."
Hussain declined to demand the resignation of Khurshid. Both Kejriwal and Khurshid have called upon the disabled to substantiate claims in their respective briefings.
PTI contributed to this story.
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