NEW DELHI: Following a Censure note from the election commission, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded that the poll panel allow him to repeat his comments as those were aimed at checking graft.
The Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor also suggested that he be made the EC's "brand ambassador" for his efforts to check bribery in polls.
"Through my remarks, I am trying to stop bribery. In fact, the Election Commission should make me its brand ambassador," Kejriwal said in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.
"By stopping me to say what I am saying, the Election Commission is not stopping corruption, but encouraging it. I hope you (the EC) will re-examine this and will allow me repeat my comments," he said, two days after he was censured by the poll panel, which warned of strong action in case of repeating the comments.
However, Kejriwal appeared justifying his remarks as he claimed he was trying to end corruption through his remarks and that the EC can publicise his statement to deal with bribery and corruption during elections.
"We have shown this in Delhi election. People took money from BJP and Congress, but voted for us. If the Election Commission uses my statement and propagates it, then in two years, the political parties will stop distributing notes," Kejriwal wrote.
BJP reacted strongly to Kejriwal's letter to the EC, saying it "denigrated" the poll watchdog and the entire election process.
"Kejriwal, a self-proclaimed Chief Justice of Indian politics who also has a constitution bench of corrupt ministers, has again and again repeated his bribery remarks. By doing this he is not only denigrating the credibility of Election Commission but also the entire voting process," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.
"Kejriwal wants to be Delhi Chief Minister on odd days, Punjab Chief Minister on even days and Goa Chief Minister on holidays. But, now when his desire to become chief minister of three states at the same time has shattered, he is frustrated and saying all this," Patra said.
Earlier, on Saturday, the EC had ‘censured’ Arvind Kejriwal for his bribery remarks in a Goa rally recently. The poll panel also warned the AAP convener of stern action in case of similar violation of model code of conducts.
The election commission had issued a notice to Kejriwal on January 6 for violating the model code of conduct by “making certain statements to the effect of promoting or abetment of the offence of bribery to the electors in a public meeting held at Mapusa , Bardez taluka, Goa”.
The EC had said that it had issued similar warning to Kejriwal during Delhi assembly polls in January 2015 and reminded him saying, “You had made unqualified promise to the Commission that you will not make any appeal to voters or make statement of the nature stated above during the period when MCC is in force”