READ ALSO:

Jitender Tomar replies to CM over fake degree row

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at the media on Sunday, going as far as to suggest that it be put on public trial. Speaking at the launch of a news portal, Kejriwal alleged that a large section of the media had taken a contract for ruining AAP.Responding to an audience suggestion about putting media on trial, Kejriwal turned to the CEO of the portal and said, “This is a good suggestion. If you see a channel showing something factually incorrect, you must name the channel and raise the issue”. He also told the audience, “You can have a public trial as well. Fix 8-10 points and collect people there and say that a particular channel showed something wrong. Name the media.”AAP has always had a troubled relationship with the media but now the CM seems to have shed all inhibitions in attacking the fourth estate, which he considers to be working against his interests.“TV channels did not spare anything to ruin AAP before the election and even now they’re trying to discredit us in all possible ways. However, people are very smart. The more the media shows us in a negative light, the more support we get. This time we won 67 seats and next time we may end up with 70 seats,” he said.Kejriwal quoted a few examples to show how his government was being targeted. “On Friday a Delhi Police constable was arrested by the anti-corruption branch for taking a bribe. Senior policemen called the ACB all night to release the constable or transfer the case. The next morning, Delhi Police filed a kidnapping case against the ACB. No media house showed this news,” he said.Referring to the recent CAG audit report against transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Kejriwal said that had it been AAP, the media would have hounded Kejriwal for a resignation. “Since we have won, the opposition is very scared of us. The media is with them but the people are with us. We will expose the media like we exposed other political parties,” Kejriwal said.The CM also defended his law minister Jitender Singh Tomar who has been accused of forging his degree. “I am not related to him, nor am I friends with him. AAP has 67 MLAs. Had there even been 36 we would have worried, but if we can cancel someone’s ticket a few days before elections, changing the law minister is the easiest thing for us to do. However, this is a conspiracy against him. I had asked him for an explanation and after reading his response, anyone would say he is innocent. The court has given him till August to file his affidavit. The media has been carrying stories asking why he has not been sacked. Is their agenda to have him sacked or uncover the truth,” he said.He also said that he would not spare any media house if he found that they were either not implementing the Majithia recommendations on wage board or evading taxes.Kejriwal seeks clarification from law minister Tomar over fake degree allegations