"Will hang myself": Gambhir's hardball at Kejriwal over smear pamphlets

Bharatiya Janata Party's Gautam Gambhir on Friday said he will hang himself in public if Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal can prove his connection with the derogatory pamphlets against Atishi, the former cricketer's Lok Sabha election opponent.

The cricketer-turned-politician threw a hardball at the Delhi Chief Minister asking him to quit politics if his accusations don't hold ground.

"Challenger Number 3 to Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. If he can prove that I have anything to do with this pamphlet filth, then I will hang myself in public. Otherwise, Arvind Kejriwal should quit politics. Accepted?" Gambhir, who is contesting against AAP's Atishi from East Delhi seat, wrote on Twitter.

Defamatory pamphlets targeting Atishi have created a fresh storm in Delhi politics, with her party attributing the smear campaign to her poll opponent Gambhir.

The AAP leader broke down while addressing a press conference on the issue yesterday where she, along with party colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, lashed out at the freshly-minted BJP leader.

Soon after, Gambhir rubbished the allegation saying if proven guilty, he would quit politics. He also sent a defamation notice to Atishi, Kejriwal, and Sisodia, demanding an unconditional apology for making "defamatory" comments against him.

AAP will send the BJP leader a counter defamation notice and the party would consider all possible legal options in the issue, Kejriwal told ANI.

Atishi and Gambhir, both first timers in Lok Sabha elections, have been at loggerheads since announcement of their candidature. The AAP leader accused Gambhir of having two voter IDs, but he dismissed the allegation as baseless.

All the seven seats in Delhi vote in a single phase on May 12.