Amid protests by Arvind Kejriwal, Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday returned to New Delhi from abroad and said he will fight back the allegations that his NGO siphoned off money meant for disabled with sufficient proof.
The Law Minister faced protests at IGI airport here this morning where activists of Mr Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption (IAC) raised slogans against him and attempted to show black flags.
Mr Khurshid, who was in London for the past few days, denied the allegations levelled by a TV channel and Mr Kejriwal’s IAC that the Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust owned by him and his wife Louise was involved in cases of financial misappropriation and forgery.
“I will fight back the allegations with sufficient proof,” he told reporters on arrival.
Supporters of India Against Corruption staged a protest outside Mr Khurshid’s residence on Kushak Road, where police has stepped up security.
A group of seven IAC activists, including a woman, shouted slogans against Mr Khurshid and waived black flags. They were subsequently detained by police and taken away in a bus.
Not my allegations, says Kejriwal
Reacting to Mr Khurshid’s remarks that he has sufficient proof to counter the allegations, Mr Kejriwal said they were not his allegations.
“These are not my allegations but that of Akhilesh Yadav government’s. They have conducted a probe and submitted a report. He will have to resign,” he said.
Mr Kejriwal also led a march around Connaught Place along with disabled people. He also challenged Mr Khurshid to have a public discussion at Jantar Mantar.
The protest by Mr Kejriwal and disabled people demanding the resignation of Mr Khurshid entered the third on Sunday.
The protesters, who were detained two days ago and released on Saturday, continued their protest at Parliament Street and raised the pitch saying they will sit there till Mr Khurshid resigns from the cabinet.
Mr Khurshid’s wife Ms Louise, the project director of the NGO Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, had lashed out at Mr Kejriwal on Saturday, terming the allegations of “money bungling” as “baseless innuendos” and accused him of “doing politics using the shoulders of the disabled”.
Keywords: Louise Khurshid, India Against Corruption, Salman Khurshid, IAC, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav
Dear Mr. Kurshid,
The swindling charges against you may not have been proved.
But the fact remains that:
[1] CAG has passed strong & damaging strictures against your TRUST.
[2] The beneficiaries - physically challenged persons are yet to receive the aids & appliances for which the Government has contributed money to your trust.
The above 2 are adequate to seek your resignation.
Probity demands that you quit immediately & prepare your defences.
Moreover the charges levelled against you are the outcome of the investigations conducted by your FRIENDLY Mulayam Singh Government.
Proof beyond doubt is demanded by courts ONLY to convict persons accused of criminal offences.
But in the case of persons holding public offices, a prima facie case is adequate to make him quit his office.
Please do that.
Government rubbbishes everything. Magasaysay awardee is called third rate man. We the mango people including media are like guttersnipes in the eyes of polititicians. Its time courts and media unite to uphold our constitution and save our country from moth eaten state of affairs.
Shame on Law Minister .. when he said affidavit were illegal.. seems
something fishy intentionally done...Pity....
This pseudo intellect Salman Khurshid refuses to resign. Gone are the days when political leaders in high posts resigned when they faced allegations of corruption against them. This "fighting corruption allegations" is the new congress culture promoted by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Interestingly Rahul Gandhi has not made any significant comment on all the allegations afflicting his party colleagues and his UPA allies. He prefers to make irrelevant remarks like the one he made about punjabi students recently. He does not deserve to be made a minister of state let alone becoming the PM. I support Arvind Kejriwal for naming and shaming the looters of the nation whoever they maybe. Hats off to Arvind Kejriwal.
The only decent thing for him is to resign immediately and prove his innocence.
It is very interesting as well as tragic to know that their only daughter had expired a few years back.Yet these people are after scam sourced money!
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