"On every count, Arvind Kejriwal is a failed leader, a corrupt leader," Piyush Goyal said (File)
The BJP on Thursday described as "too little too late" Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's first response on the alleged assault on his party's Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal and said he is a "failed" leader on all counts.
Ms Maliwal was allegedly assaulted by Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar at the CM's residence on May 13. Kumar has been arrested.
The BJP's reaction came a day after Mr Kejriwal in an interview to PTI said justice be served with a fair investigation into alleged Ms Maliwal assault case as there are two versions of it.
He also asserted that he has no "intention" of becoming the next prime minister of the country if the INDIA bloc wins the Lok Sabha polls, saying that his aim was to save the country and democracy from the prevailing "dictatorship".
Talking to PTI, senior BJP leaders took swipes at Mr Kejriwal on his assertion that he has no "intention" of becoming the next prime minister, and said the AAP national convener's remarks mean that the country will get a weak government if the opposition INDIA bloc wins the elections.
"Too little too late," BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal told PTI when asked for his reaction on Kejriwal's response to the Maliwal assault case.
"Why was Kejriwal protecting the accused (in the case) for these many days? People have seen the real face of Arvind Kejriwal being exposed. He has shown that he is the most outright corrupt, be it his 'sheesh mahal' or liquor scam," he said.
"On every count, Arvind Kejriwal is a failed leader, a corrupt leader. He is such a person who has betrayed the people of Delhi and the country," Mr Goyal said.
The Union minister took potshots at Mr Kejriwal over his assertion that he has no "intention" of becoming prime minister, and claimed it has become clear after five phases of the Lok Sabha polls that the BJP-led NDA has already crossed the majority mark.
"Where is the INDI alliance?" Mr Goyal asked.
Mr Goyal also hit out at Mr Kejriwal over his remarks on the judiciary, and alleged that attempts are being made by "politicians" to put pressure on it by making baseless allegations.
In his interview to PTI, the Delhi chief minister had said if the INDIA bloc comes to power, it will free the judiciary from "tremendous pressure" it is facing at present, and added that this will lead to his release from jail on June 5 as all the cases against him are bogus.
Mr Kejriwal was arrested in a Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 21 and was released from jail on an interim bail granted by the Supreme Court on May 10. He has to surrender on June 2.
"The INDI alliance keeps changing its stand day and night. While one day it expresses satisfaction with the Supreme Court's order and says 'satyameva jayate (truth alone triumphs)', on another day they abuse it," Mr Goyal said when asked for his reaction to Mr Kejriwal's comment.
"I am fully confident that the judiciary is capable and independent, and it will not fall in the trap of such corrupt persons," he said, asserting that the INDIA bloc cannot get Mr Kejriwal out of jail after June 1.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also hit out at Mr Kejriwal over the Maliwal case and described the opposition INDIA bloc as a grouping of "anti-women" parties, questioning their silence on the issue.
On Mr Kejriwal's assertions remarks on prime ministership, Mr Dhami said this makes it clear that the country will get a weak government if the INDIA bloc is voted to power as there will be five prime ministers over the next five years.
"When Arvind Kejriwal is himself saying, it means no decision has so far been taken with regard to their (INDIA bloc) prime ministerial candidate. This means that if they form government, there will be five prime ministers over the next five years. This means that a weak government will be formed," Mr Dhami told PTI, when asked for a reaction to the Delhi chief minister's remarks.
"That's why the country wants a strong government under a strong leadership which can take decisions. Such a government is going to be formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)