His apology spree has been called a meek surrender by some of the top AAP leaders.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his AAP colleagues have apologised to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and "unequivocally" withdrawn all allegations of corruption against him. This is the latest apology from the AAP chief, who is facing a string of libels by politicians.
The BJP leader had filed a Rs 10-crore defamation suit in 2015 against Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Deepak Bajpai and Raghav Chadha who had accused him of financial irregularities during his tenure as DDCA president between 1999 and 2013. He later filed a second case of the same amount when Kejriwal's then lawyer Ram Jethmalani used a slur against him.
Kejriwal and others wrote to Jaitley on Sunday to say their allegations were based on wrong information, and that they were misinformed. "I offer my sincere apology to you and your family members for any harm caused to your reputation," they have said.
On March 19, Kejriwal apologised to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal for his "unverified allegations" of corruption against them.
His apology spree has been called a meek surrender by some of the top AAP leaders.
AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann and his deputy Aman Arora quit their posts on march 16, after Kejriwal apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Mann is AAP's MP from Punjab's Sangrur.
Kejriwal had repeatedly accused former Punjab minister Majithia of being part of illegal drug businesses. In a letter, Kejriwal regretted the damage caused to Majithia, his family and friends.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia then that he would rather utilise his time in service of the people than doing rounds of the courts for the defamation cases filed 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.
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 was 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 cases defamation cases against Kejriwal include Congress's Sheila Dikshit and BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri.
ON A SPREE
- Kejri has said sorry to Nitin Gadkari, Kapil Sibal and Bikram Majithia
- On each occasion, he said he was driven by incorrect information
){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 and Arvind-Arun")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}