NEW DELHI: The BJP demanded on Tuesday that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to the nation and dismiss his jailed minister Satyendar Jain over fresh allegations related to a massage video.
The tirade came after sources claimed that the masseur, who was seen in video footage giving a massage to Jain, was not a physiotherapist, but an inmate who is lodged in the Tihar Jail in a rape case.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which received flak over the videos, had asserted earlier that Jain was receiving physiotherapy in the jail, where he is in judicial custody for the past five months over money-laundering charges.
At a press conference around afternoon, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia dared Kejriwal to respond to the fresh allegations "within an hour".
He termed the AAP an "'arajak aparadhi' party (anarchist criminal party)", accusing it of defending the wrongdoing in the jail.
"Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to the entire nation," Bhatia said.
"Satyendar Jain shouldn't retain the post of a Delhi minister for a minute anymore."
The BJP leader demanded that Kejriwal should resign if "his shoulders are too weak" to carry the responsibility of dismissing Jain after this alleged episode.
Jain could be seen in the purported videos getting back and foot massages in his cell, reading some documents and talking to visitors while lying on a bed. Mineral water bottles and a remote are also seen.
In one video, he was seen getting a head massage while sitting on a chair.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had claimed that Jain was receiving physiotherapy following a spinal injury and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of doing "cheap" politics on health issues by illegally leaking CCTV footage.