Majithia, Gadkari, Sibal pardon Kejriwal; Will Jaitley be so forgiving?
What's the story
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is on an apology marathon. Allegedly, this is to put his party out of the financial mess caused due to multiple defamation cases slapped against him, thanks to his foolhardy statements. However, the most notable entry in his "sorry" list, finance minister Arun Jaitley, might pose the biggest challenge. Reportedly, he won't be as forgiving as other leaders. Here's more.
Apologies
First off, who all have featured in Kejriwal's apology drama?
To put an end to the 33 defamation cases against him, Kejriwal has come up with this "out-of-court" settlement technique. He started out by apologizing to SAD leader Bikram Majithia for suggesting that he was involved in Punjab's flourishing "drug trade." He also apologized to Congress leader Kapil Sibal and Union minister BJP's Nitin Gadkari for making unverified allegations of corruption against them.
Jaitley's cases
Why has Jaitley filed defamation cases against Kejriwal?
Jaitley had sued Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders in December'15, seeking Rs. 10cr as damages, after they accused him of corruption during his 13-yr tenure as Delhi and District Association's (DDCA) boss. A second Rs. 10cr defamation suit followed in July'17, after Kejriwal's lawyer Ram Jethmalani used a slur during cross-examination. He claimed that the term was authorized by client Kejriwal.
Do you know?
Why won't Jaitley be forgiving as Sibal, Gadkari?
Apparently, a simple written apology might not suffice for placating Jaitley. This is because other AAP leaders like Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Deepak Bajpai and Raghav Chadha are also named. Sources claim, "If all of them apologize, then it is a different matter."
Criticism
Unsurprisingly, Kejriwal faced flak for his actions
Though Kejriwal pacified his dissenting Punjab MLAs after the "Majithia" episode, he faced flak from other quarters. Delhi's opposing Congress asked the AAP supremo to change his name to Arvind 'Sorry' Kejriwal, while the BJP lashed out at his brand of politics. Social activist Anna Hazare also taunted his once-mentee saying, "Why should one do anything for which they have to apologize later on?"
Do you know?
Embarrassingly, "blast-from-the-past" casts a dark shadow on Kejriwal's apology drive
Meanwhile, social media dug up an old tweet where Kejriwal categorically refused to apologize to BJP leaders. He arrogantly wrote in December'15, "BJP almost begging me for an apology. Sorry. I won't oblige them. Let Jaitley ji be cross-examined in defamation cases. Let truth prevail."