NEW DELHI: In the midst of his biggest confrontation with the Centre yet, a furious Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today accused the Centre of targeting him in a daylong CBI raid at Delhi Secretariat and claimed the real reason for the action was to look for a file of alleged graft in Delhi's cricket body that "traps" Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Jaitley dismissed the allegations, dubbing it "rubbish". The Delhi Chief Minister also made a stinging attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unleasing the CBI while called him a "psychopath and coward".
"It has become necessary to reveal that why did the CBI come to my office today and which was the file they were looking for. This is the DDCA file under which Arun Jaitley is getting trapped. (Ye file hai DDCA ka file jiske andar Arun Jaitley phas rahe hain)," the Delhi Chief Minister claimed. Rejecting the allegations, Jaitley said, "This morning's statement appeared to be prima facie incorrect. But the evening one seemed to be absolutely rubbish and I do not think I need to respond to this rubbish," Jaitley said.
Kejriwal said his government had set up an inquiry committee to probe alleged irregularities in DDCA which had submitted its report and he was to set up a Commission of Inquiry to carry out a detailed probe in the wrongdoings in the cricket body.
"Jaitley was the DDCA President for many years and I had set up a committee to probe all the corruption that has taken place during his tenure. The committee has submitted its report and a commission of inquiry was to be set up over it, and a file pertaining to it was in my office," alleged Kejriwal.
The Delhi Chief Minister said he was not scared of the Centre's action.
"I am not scared of you. You do not know what I am made of," he told reporters, resolving to continue the fight.
The CBI had earlier clarified it carried out searches at the office of Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar's office at the Delhi Secretariat and not that of the Chief Minister. The action was in connection with allegations against Kumar of favouring private companies in awarding government contracts from 2007-2014.
The Chief Minister said the sole motive of the raid was to "target me" and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to the nation for his "misdeeds", saying only then he will tender apololgy for calling him "coward and a psychopath".