Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs Vijay Goel on Monday condemned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for “causing grave damage to national interests” by what he termed were “irresponsible statements” equating Delhi with Pakistan.
Mr. Kejriwal, in the maiden edition of his online public dialogue initiative dubbed Talk to AK on Sunday, had taken a jibe at the Narendra Modi-led Centre saying that his government would have achieved “four times more” if the Centre “had not created such an India-Pakistan like situation in Delhi”.
‘CM speaking in voice of Pakistan propaganda’
“It is shocking that Mr. Kejriwal is equating Delhi with Pakistan. It is an anti-national statement. By playing a victim and equating Delhi with Pakistan, Mr. Kejriwal has put at stake India’s image. His statement implies that India has been victimising Pakistan and that is what Pakistan’s propaganda machinery has been trying to establish. Now Mr. Kejriwal is speaking in the same voice as the propaganda machine of Pakistan,” Mr. Goel said at a presser.
The BJP leader demanded that the CM apologise for his “unacceptable” statement, which the Minister said was in line with Mr. Kejriwal's “strategy” to blame the Centre and the PM for “all the failures of the AAP government”.
If Mr. Kejriwal doesn’t apologise, Mr. Goel said the people along with BJP workers would launch an agitation “to compel him to do so”.
Mr. Goel then went on to accuse Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being “ready to stoop down to any level”.
“We are unfortunate to have a Chief Minister in the Capital who seems hell bent on bringing down the level of political discourse...One can understand his desperation to do well in coming assembly polls in some States...but he should not stake the national interest and image of the country for petty political gains,” the Minister added.
