Published 18:56 IST, February 14th 2020
From 'You're a terrorist' to 'never done such a thing', Javadekar makes u-turn on Kejriwal
In a volte-face, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday claimed that he never called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a “terrorist”.
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In an astonishing volte-face, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday claimed that he never called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a “terrorist”. During the Delhi Assembly election, Javadekar and Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma had openly used the ‘terrorist’ terminology for Kejriwal that evoked an emotional reaction from AAP leaders. Furthermore, Javadekar opined that the huge loss of the Congress party was the main outcome of the Delhi election result.
The Union Environment Minister made these remarks while addressing a press briefing in Pune. He said, "I have never done such a thing (calling Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist) ... Secondly, the main outcome of Delhi election results is the Congress lost completely”.
'There are multiple proofs against you'
On February 3, Javadekar slammed Kejriwal for putting up a weak defence on his not being a terrorist. In fact, he insisted that there was sufficient proof against the Delhi CM in this regard. To buttress his claim, Javadekar recalled that Kejriwal had called himself an anarchist.
Thereafter, he claimed that the AAP supremo had stayed at the house of a Khalistan Commando Force terrorist in the run up to the 2017 Punjab Assembly election. Moreover, he noted that Kejriwal had not apologised for this gesture. This gesture, according to the Union Environment Minister, was proof of his terror links.
"He (Kejriwal) makes an innocent face and asks if 'I am a terrorist.' You are a terrorist and there are multiple proofs against you. You yourself have said that you are an anarchist. There is a very fine line between being an anarchist and being a terrorist," Javadekar remarked.
He added, "In Punjab elections, when there was just one week left, in Moga, you stayed at the house of Khalistan Commando Force's terrorist Gurinder Singh. You had stayed there overnight. When journalists asked you were defiant about it. Knowing he is a terrorist you stayed there not in ignorance but knowingly, what more proof of terrorism do we need to see."
Delhi Assembly elections
The electorate of Delhi registered their vote on February 8. As per the Election Commission of India, the total voter turnout was 62.59%- nearly 5% lower than the corresponding figures in the 2015 election. Despite this, AAP managed to win 62 out of the total 70 seats with a vote share of 53.57%. On the other hand, BJP's vote share increased to 38.51%, but it bagged only 8 seats.
(With PTI inputs)
18:55 IST, February 14th 2020