New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the CBI raid at his office was conducted to "help Arun Jaitley" and the Prime Minister should resign for it.
Speaking at the Delhi assembly as his battle with the Centre reaches a new low, Mr Kejriwal added, "BJP leaders have told me in private, whenever my name is taken, (PM Narendra) Modi's blood boils."
His attack came hours after PM Modi backed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who has been accused by the Aam Aadmi Party of corruption in Delhi's cricket body, the DDCA, when he was its chief for 13 years till 2013. The Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the allegations.
Mr Jaitley -- who has sued Mr Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for defamation -- contends their accusations are meant to deflect attention from last week's CBI raid on an officer close to the Chief Minister.
Calling the raids a "flop", Mr Kejriwal today said the CBI questioned his principal secretary Rajender Kumar for over 50 hours after 14-hour long raids. "But they have found nothing... The raid was aimed only at helping Arun Jaitley," he said. "What the PM did is quite shameful," he said.
"I thank Arun Jaitley for the defamation case," Mr Kejriwal added. "If the Prime Minister has courage, he should show it and move Arun Jaitley out from the cabinet."
Claiming Mr Jaitley was nervous about filing the case, he said, "If they are so nervous about filing a case that they need six ministers, what will happen to him when he is cross examined? Perhaps the whole cabinet and even Barack Obama's cabinet will be called in."
Defending his move to investigate alleged corruption at the DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association), the Chief Minister said it was suggested by the Centre. "The Centre wrote in July that the matter should be inquired," he said.
Mr Kejriwal's naming of the one-man commission to inquire into the alleged corruption in Delhi cricket body has been questioned by BJP on grounds of jurisdiction.
Taking the charges head-on, Mr Kejriwal said, "What remains to be seen is that whether the inquiry commission will be annulled by the L-G, who Jaitley says is 'our man'... I appeal to Jaitleyji to cooperate with the inquiry commission."