Khetan meets Kejriwal amid row over his remarks

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Jul 06 2016 | 9:13 PM IST
Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan, under fire for equating the party's 'Youth Manifesto' for Punjab polls with religious books and using the image of Golden Temple on it, today met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here.
AAP's Punjab in charge Sanjay Singh and senior leader Ashutosh were also present in the meeting.
However, the party maintained that the meeting had got nothing to do with the controversy.
While Khetan has already tendered an apology, saying he did not intend to "undermine any section of the society", a case was registered against him in Amritsar today for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
When contacted, a senior party leader said the meeting was "informal". The leader criticised the opposition for "communalising" the issue despite Khetan tendering apology.
"The opposition is just trying to whip up communal sentiments. Khetan has already apologised and the party's Punjab unit has also done the same," the leader said.
While Kejriwal, who was recently on a three-day tour of Punjab, has kept mum on the issue, he shared videos of Khetan's apology on Twitter.
The opposition led by BJP-SAD pounced on AAP after Khetan had reportedly compared the manifesto with "the Bible, Gita and Guru Granth Sahib" to underline the party's commitment to it during its launch in Amritsar.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had attacked AAP, saying its act amounted to "desecration" of the holy book and sought an apology from AAP chief Kejriwal.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 06 2016 | 9:13 PM IST

Next Story