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”.
