Majithia apology: Kumar Vishwas takes a poetic dig at Arvind Kejriwal

The apology has not gone well with AAP's Punjab leaders

Delhi Chief Minster Arvind Kejriwal has settled the defamation case filed against him by former Punjab Revenue Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia. 

Kejriwal on Thursday issued an apology to Majithia for having levelled "unfounded" allegations related to drugs trade, saying that now he has learnt that the drug trade allegations were unfounded.

"In the recent past I made certain statements and allegations against you regarding your alleged involvement in drug trade. These statements became a political issue. Now, I've learnt that allegations are unfounded. Hence, there should be no politics on such issues," Kejriwal said in a statement.

"I hereby withdrew all my statements and allegations made against you and apologise for the same," read the statement.

The Aam Aadmi Party supreme has reportedly furnished a copy of the apology to the court.

Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas launched a vieled attack on Kejriwal over his apology.

"Expert in dividing unity, expert at chopping off his own roots, why spit on the person who is himself ready to spit and take it back," Vishwas said in a tweet in Hindi.
 

Talking to reporters on Thursday evening, Majethia said he was grateful that truth had won and Kejriwal had realised his mistake.  

"I will withdraw the case, which I had filed for what is right and for my own and my family's honour," he said.

Majithia had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and two other AAP leaders, Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khetan, in May 2016 after they repeatedly targeted him over the problem of drugs in Punjab while campaigning for the Punjab Assembly elections.

Kejriwal had accused the Prakash Singh Badal government, especially Majithia, of patronising drug mafia and criminals.  

The apology, however, did not go well with AAP's Punjab leaders.

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and senior AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira took to Twitter to vent his disagreement.
 

Another senior AAP leader Kanwar Sandhu also reacted sharply.


This defamation case is only one of the series of such cases he has accumulated since entering politics. Last week, he had apologised to BJP leader Avtar Singh Bhadana asking him to withdraw his defamation suit.

NDTV, on Thursday, cited sources saying that the Delhi CM is also planning to reach out to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley has sued Kejriwal for accusing him of corruption as the head of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA).