Delhi Polls: BJP VS AAP debate hits a new low as Nirmala Sitharaman calls Arvind Kejriwal a ‘chor’

NEW DELHI: BJP on Tuesday sharpened its attack on AAP over the dubious donations the party had received last year with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leading the charge.

Jaitley accused that the dubious donations to the AAP poll kitty were indeed black money channelled via hawala route, which evoked sharp reactions from Arvind Kejriwal.

Taking to Twitter, he asked what stopped the FM from arresting him if he was so sure it was hawala money. “Stop throwing muck. Act. Arrest me if I am guilty,” Kejriwal tweeted, wondering how the Rs 2 crore in question, which was accepted as cheques, could be called hawala.

“AAP has been caught red-handed,” Jaitley said, adding, “disillusioned members of the party have brought out these facts. The facts relating to this dubious funding of AAP are selfevident.” “It is obvious these companies have been used as pass-through companies; black money passed through hawala,” he said.

Later in the day, Kejriwal said that his party should not be held responsible for failing to verify the financial DNA of four companies who donated Rs 2 crore in April last year, and whose collective records suggest dubious accounts and fake addresses.

“Does hawala money move through cheques? Would we have posted the details of these donations on our website if we were guilty of wrongdoing?” he said, “We will return the money if a court orders this,” he added. The debate hit a new low when Sitharaman called Kejriwal a “chor” and said, a thief cannot decide who will investigate him. “He can approach SC... SIT or whosoever, but he needs to explain,” the minister said.

Sitharaman’s thief remark evoked a strong response from AAP. “Not surprised if Nirmala Sitharaman is calling Kejriwal ‘chor’, that is the political culture they have been born into,” AAP leader Ashutosh said.