Kejriwal defends AAP law minister, calls for 'public trial' of the media

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday defended his Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, accused of faking his law degree, and called for a "public trial" of the media. If Tomar had done any wrong, Kejriwal said he would have surely asked him to step down. "I am not Tomar's relative or friend. I had sought an explanation from Tomar on the controversy. He gave a satisfactory answer and said he wasn't at fault as his degree is genuine," Kejriwal said. The chief minister said a Right to Information query seeking details about Tomar's law degree from a Bihar university was moved on a wrong roll number. "It was done to taint his image." Kejriwal was speaking at the launch of a multimedia web site here. "There is a need for a public trial of the media to expose their bias," he said, speaking in Hindi but using the words "public trial" in English. "A section of the media has tried everything to tarnish the Aam Aadmi Party's image," he said, adding some media houses were conspiring against his party. "Why did not television channels highlight issues related to (Surface Transport Minister Nitin) Gadkari but leave no stone unturned to showcase AAP issues? We need transparency in the media." The AAP leader also spoke on the suicide by a Rajasthani farmer, Gajendra Singh, at a party rally at Jantar Mantar here on April 22. "In retrospect I think we should have cancelled the event after Gajendra hanged himself." Kejriwal, who became chief minister in February after leading the AAP to a sweeping win, said that better governance in Delhi was his main agenda. He added that Delhi won't face water and power shortages this summer. "We have taken necessary steps to ensure adequate water and power supply for the residents of the national capital this summer." With IANS

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