In 2016, Kejriwal said he would ‘drag’ Majithia to jail for his alleged role in Punjab drug racket, prompting the latter to file defamation suit against him.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has apologised and retracted all allegations he had made against former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
In 2016, Kejriwal had said he would “drag” Majithia “by his collar” to jail for his alleged role in a multi-million rupee drug racket in Punjab, prompting the latter to file a defamation case against him.
“In the recent past I made certain statements and allegations against you regarding your alleged involvement in drug trade. These statements made a political issue,” Kejriwal in a written statement submitted to an Amritsar court Thursday.
“Now I’ve learnt that allegations are unfounded,” he has said, adding that there must be no politics on this issue in future.
Despite repeated attempts, Majithia, a Shiromani Akali Dal leader, could not be reached for comment.
Rajouri Garden MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who represents the SAD-BJP alliance, told ThePrint that there was no direct communication between the leaders and the understanding was reached through their respective lawyers.
In the past, Majithia was probed by the ED in connection with an alleged Rs 6,000-crore money-laundering and drugs case. Kejriwal used this to attack him during election rallies in Punjab.
“The damage caused to your esteem, the hurt caused to your family, friends, well-wishers, followers and the loss caused to you is regretted,” Kejriwal has written in the statement.
In addition to the legal case filed by Majithia, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had also filed a criminal defamation complaint against Kejriwal alleging that the accused had defamed him in a controversy regarding the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) when he headed it from 2000 to 2013.
After AAP leaders accused Jaitley of corruption, a civil defamation suit was filed by Jaitley against them in the Delhi High Court, seeking Rs 10 crore as damages.