Congress big guns defend Khurshid, slam Kejriwal

Leaders say Kejriwal’s allegations against law minister meant to gain political mileage and cheap popularity. HT reports. Khurshid's press conference:Part- 1 | Part- 2 | EOW probe begins | On the offensive

With activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal intensifying his campaign against law minister Salman Khurshid and demanding his resignation over allegations of financial irregularities in the Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by him and his wife, senior Congress leaders on Sunday came out in full support to defend their colleague.

Confident that Khurshid will emerge with his honour intact, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said in a statement, “I am confident that my very good friend and colleague and one of the most decent human beings I have ever known will emerge from this wholly manufactured ordeal with his honour and integrity intact."

Senior party leader Digvijaya Singh also backed the law minister and said that Kejriwal was looking for political space by resorting to such tactics. He said Kejriwal's allegations were the basis on which a sting operation was carried out by a TV news channel.

"Once something illegal is found by the state (UP) and the central government, naturally an FIR will be lodged. Has an FIR been lodged? Khurshid has already said that he is going to take Kejriwal to court,” Singh said.

Reiterating Singh’s point, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said Kejriwal was levelling baseless allegations because he had joined politics.

Charging Kejriwal of trying to “gain cheap popularity”, MoS in the PMO V Narayansamy told reporters in Chennai, “Kejriwal is maligning people. He will feel the heat and learn a lesson… This is cheap popularity. He does not know what is democracy, parliamentary procedures. He wants popularity and is using the media for this.”