New Delhi: A visibly furious Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused the CBI of raiding his office in search of a file related to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, even as the latter said he did not need to respond to "rubbish".
"Rajendra (Kumar) is an excuse, Kejriwal is the target," he said, referring to the chief minister's principal secretary who the CBI alleged was involved in corruption.
Responding to Kejriwal's allegations against him, Jaitley said, "His (Arvind Kejriwal) morning statement appeared to be prima facie incorrect, but evening one seems to be absolute rubbish… And I don't think I need to respond to rubbish."
The Central Bureau of Investigation also denied raiding Kejriwal's office.
But the visibly angry chief minister said the CBI was lying because its officers did search his office.
He said his office didn't maintain files beyond 10-15 days old. "If they were looking for files of 2007-14 period, what were they looking for in my office?"
"If they were looking for files of 2007-14 period, what were they looking for in my office?"
The real reason for the raid, Kejriwal said, was a report of the commission that probed the affairs of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which he alleged was a den of corruption.
Jaitley had been involved for a long time with the DDCA, he said.
"They wanted the file of DDCA… Jaitley figures in it. They came looking for that file," he told reporters outside the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia where AAP leaders met earlier in the day.
He pointed out that Kumar had held senior positions in the departments of education, IT and VAT.
"If they were looking for proof of corruption, they should be looking for the concerned files in those departments.
"But I do not think the (CBI) action is to check (corrupt) contracts. If he had given out contracts wrongly, those departments should have been raided. The files (related to his alleged corruption) are there."
Kejriwal said he was firmly opposed to corruption, and he would not mind sending his own son to jail if he indulged in corruption.
(With inputs from agencies)