Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar today faced demands for his ouster amid a row over allegedly "fabricating" his law degree, but he rejected the charge of any wrongdoing and refused to step down.
He said the controversy was a BJP ploy to sully the image of Aam Aadmi Party and contended that since no FIR had been registered against him nor any court had made any observation "there is no question of stepping down".
He also met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and was understood to have given an explanation over the whole issue. Despite demands by the BJP and Congress for Tomar's ouster, Kejriwal is believed to be backing him in this case.
Responding to a petition which alleged that Tomar had enrolled himself as an advocate on the basis of a "false and bogus" degree, the Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University in Bihar had yesterday submitted an affidavit in the Delhi High Court stating that his provisional certificate was "fabricated".
Seizing upon the opportunity, main opposition BJP accused Kejriwal of adopting "double standards" on the issue of corruption and demanded that he dismiss Tomar from the government.
"He (Kejriwal) has continuously been adopting double standards. After the affidavit of Bhagalpur university in the Delhi High Court what are they waiting for," Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said and warned that his party will take to streets if Tomar was not dismissed.
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi taunted the AAP, saying the Law Minister himself has shown how law is being toyed with.
"Whatever degrees were submitted (by Tomar), were fake. The Law Minister himself has shown how law is being toyed with. Those people who spoke about ethics in politics have been unmasked. People of Delhi want answers from AAP for the way you reached here (gained power) by making false promises," Lekhi, who is herself a lawyer, told reporters.
Congress went a step further by not just demanding Tomar's sacking but also Kejriwal's resignation owning "moral responsibility".
A clutch of Youth Congress workers also staged a protest outside Kejriwal's residence demanding resignation of the Delhi Law Minister.
