Kejriwal has been sued separately by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for accusing him of corruption during his tenure as DDCA head.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal apologised to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday for his "unverified allegations" of corruption against them, the latest attempt by the AAP chief to wriggle out a mess of 33 defamation cases.
But his apology spree has been called a meek surrender by some top AAP leaders. AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann and his deputy Aman Arora quit their posts on Friday, after Kejriwal apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Mann is an MP from Punjab's Sangrur.
Kejriwal had repeatedly accused former Punjab minister Majithia of being part of illegal drug businesses. In a letter, he regretted the damage caused to Majithia, his family and friends.
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said he would rather utilise his time in service of the people than doing rounds of the courts for the defamation cases against him and Kejriwal. "We will apologise to the people we have hurt. We're here to serve the people; we do not have the time to go to courts for such issues. We're here to build schools and hospitals for the welfare of people," said Sisodia.
Kejriwal has been sued separately by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for accusing him of corruption during his tenure as DDCA head.
AAP intends to get rid of all other defamation cases filed against Kejriwal through similar out-of-court settlements and individual "understandings". The cases have been a drain on the party's finances and resources.
In 2014, Kejriwal had called Gadkari "one of the most corrupt politicians in the country" that led to a defamation case.
"I have nothing personal against you. I regret the same. Let us put the incident behind us and bring the court proceedings to a closure. I suggest we should put our energy to serve the people of this country," Kejriwal wrote to Gadkari.
Kejriwal and Gadkari also submitted a joint application before Delhi's Patiala House court, seeking withdrawal of the case.
A similar letter of apology has also been submitted in the defamation case filed by Sibal's lawyer son Amit. More such letters are expected in the future. Others who have filed defamation cases against Kejriwal include Congress's Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Arvind Kejriwal")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}