Will sue Kejriwal for defamation, awaiting Congress nod, says Channi

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said he would file a defamation case against Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejirwal, who has dubbed him as a dishonest man after the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids at many places, including at the premises of the Congress leader's nephew.

Channi alleged that Kejriwal was in the habit of levelling accusations to malign the image of others and that in the past it was seen how he had to later apologise to Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Nitin Gadkari, the late Arun Jaitley and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

Speaking to reporters in his constituency in Chamkaur Sahib, he claimed that Kejriwal has now crossed all limits and that he has requested his party to give permission to file a defamation case against the AAP leader.          

"I will file a defamation case against Kejriwal and have requested my party to give permission to do so. I am compelled to do this...he is dubbing me as dishonest and he has put that on his Twitter handle," he said.

Opposition parties, particularly the AAP, have stepped up attacks on Channi and the Congress in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate raids.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had said that Channi will be defeated from his Chamkaur Sahib seat in next month's assembly polls, while stressing that people were shocked to see crores of rupees being seized from the home of Channi's nephew.

Asked to comment on this, Channi replied, "Now, what has happened, money has been from someone else, raids are conducted on someone else, but he (Kejriwal) is dubbing me as dishonest by putting photos showing bundles of notes (seized during ED raids) with my photo over social media".

"He is calling me dishonest... Did he call himself dishonest when his nephew was caught..," asked Channi.

"Why photos of bundles of notes with my photos on social media accounts, which money came to me, what is my fault in this? Why are you dragging me into this? Some money of someone else seized... there was a raid at 10 places in Punjab, why are you linking me with this? Had money been seized from me, ED would have conducted raids at my house, arrested me, questioned me," said Channi, seeking to clarify his position vis-a-vis accusations levelled by the opposition after his nephew was raided.

The Aam Aadmi Party has been attacking Channi ever since the ED carried out raids at many places including at the premises of Channi's nephew.

The Delhi chief minister had on Wednesday said Channi is not a common man but a "dishonest man" as he sought to corner the Congress leader over the ED raids.

The ED on Wednesday said it had seized cash amounting to over Rs 10 crore, including about Rs 8 crore from a relative of Channi, during raids conducted in connection with an anti-money laundering investigation against illegal sand-mining operations in the poll-bound state.