Arvind Kejriwal seeks permission from EC to repeat bribery remarks

Kejriwal asked poll panel to make him the brand ambassador to put an end to bribery in elections

Days after the Election Commission censured him for exhorting voters in poll-bound Goa to accept bribes, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the poll panel that his remarks were aimed at containing graft and sought a review of its order to allow him to repeat the comments.

Holding that the EC misinterpreted his comments, he also asked the poll panel to make him the brand ambassador to put an end to bribery in elections, alleging its order against him was encouraging corruption.

"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.

"Through this comment, 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.

On Saturday, Kejriwal was censured by the EC for his comment asking voters in Goa to take money from political parties, but vote only for Aam Aadmi Party. The commission had also warned of strong action, including derecognition of AAP, if the Delhi Chief Minister repeated his comments.

He claimed that 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 said.

He also said the EC has not been able to stop corruption in the last 70 years and if his remarks were used, then bribery during polls can be ended in two years.

"A court in Delhi had ruled that a similar statement I made earlier does not amount to bribery," he said in the letter.