Unfazed, Arvind Kejriwal fires yet another salvo at media

Unfazed by the criticism of his attack on media, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal fired yet another salvo at it on Saturday, questioning whether the media had the courage to show the "true story" about Narendra Modi's Gujarat.

Speaking to reporters before launching his roadshow in Bangalore, he accused the media of not bringing out the "truth" about the BJP prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister before the people.

"Will the media have the courage to show Gujarat's true story to the people of the country? There is a big question mark," said Kejriwal whose comments against the media have brought him in the line of fire from media and political parties alike.

Kejriwal had sparked a controversy with his remarks that the whole media is "sold out" and media people would be sent to jail after an inquiry into the issue if the AAP comes to power were aired.

During the two-day tour, Kejriwal is also attending a Rs 20,000 per person dinner to raise funds for AAP. He will hold a roadshow in Chikkaballapur tomorrow before concluding the visit with a rally in Bangalore.

Charging the BJP's prime ministerial candidate with "cheating" people during his rallies, he said "that is what the people are saying. So far, the media has not brought out the truth about Modi before the people."

Asked about the evidence to back his allegations about Modi, he said, the condition of farmers was "pathetic" as their land had been snatched. "There is a publicity going around that Modiji is a saviour of farmers. No Modiji is not the saviour. The country's farmers have been told a lie... If the farmers come to know of it, none of them will vote for Modi. I am not generalising. I have seen it myself in Gujarat. Therefore, I ask the media to show the truth." 

Kejriwal said the media should show the "real conditions" prevailing in Gujarat. "They should show the rule of corruption and bribe in Gujarat. Before Delhi (Assembly) elections, the media had done a sting operation against us."

"Did we say anything? Modiji is telling big lies to the nation which is a very big conspiracy."

Asked to name the channels which he had alleged were being paid for Modi's coverage, he refused to answer.