Party won’t betray values: Kejriwal
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said sacked minister Sandeep Kumar had “betrayed” the core values on which the Aam Aadmi Party would never compromise, and hit out at rival parties for their “indifference” in taking action in cases of wrongdoing and corruption.
In a video message, Kejriwal asserted that he would prefer to die than stray from the AAP’s principles, adding that the same rule would apply to him and all other senior leaders.
“Sandeep Kumar betrayed the party; he betrayed the AAP movement and the trust people across the country have reposed in the AAP. We will never compromise on our core values. We will prefer to die than tolerate wrongdoing,” he said.
In a sudden move, Kumar, who held the Women and Child Welfare and Social Welfare portfolios, was sacked from the council of ministers on Wednesday by Kejriwal after he received a nine-minute-long CD in which Kumar was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.
“We never cover up when we get evidence of a wrongdoing. The AAP takes action as soon as we get any evidence. That differentiates us from other political parties. It is sad that such people (Kumar) were with the AAP,” Kejriwal said.
Rebutting the BJP’s criticism, Kejriwal asked the party what action it had taken against allegations of wrongdoing against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel.
He also attacked the Congress and wondered why the party “shied away from taking action against its Punjab chief Amarinder Singh when it was found that his family had Swiss bank accounts”.
The decision to remove 36-year-old Kumar was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top AAP leaders on Wednesday night.
Kumar on Thursday alleged that he was being targeted under a “conspiracy” as he was a Dalit and demanded a probe. “This is a conspiracy against me as I belong to Valmiki Samaj. There should be a probe. The CD is not authentic. Its authenticity should be checked,” he told reporters at his residence here.
