AAP v/s Jaitley: When Smriti Irani clashed with Sagarika Ghose over 'blasphemy comments'

Staunchly defending Arun Jaitley, whose resignation has been sought by AAP and Congress for alleged financial bunglings in DDCA, BJP today asserted that it "resolutely stands behind" the finance minister who has an "impeccable" political record. After AAP launched a sharp attack on Jaitley, BJP fielded Smriti Irani to mount a counter attack in which she described the charges as a "blasphemous and preposterous campaign bordering on political hysteria" being created to deflect the public attention from a "corrupt officer" working with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

She also quoted from Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe into DDCA affairs done during the UPA tenure to claim that it had given Jaitley a clean chit. "It is observed during the period under inspection that Arun Jaitley is the DDCA president presiding over (its) meetings like a non-executive chairman without involvement in the day to day affair of the company. "No incidents of fraud has been noticed during the course of investigation," she said quoting from the report. ( AAP v/s Jaitley: Smriti Irani calls AAP's comments blasphemous)

"Today, BJP resolutely stands behind Arun Jaitley and publicly condemns the malicious intent of the Aam Aadmi Party to deflect public attention from a corrupt officer working with Arvind Kejriwal," the Union Minister told a press conference. A probe done during the Congress tenure gave him a "clean chit" even though the party had used instruments of power to "corner" its leaders, she stressed. The demand of Congress now that Jaitley should resign exposes its political hypocrisy, she said, wondering if it was doing so to deflect attention from the Gandhi family. 

An unseemly slugfest has erupted between AAP and BJP after CBI raided Kejriwal's principal secretary's office on Tuesday with Kejriwal calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "coward and psychopath" and BJP hitting back. Showering praise on Jaitley, she said he had written his name in "golden letters in history" with his dedication and work and Kejriwal's attempts to protect a corrupt officer amounted to abdicating the anti-corruption movement from which he had shot to limelight.

Here's the exchange that followed: 

Smriti Irani says charges are "blasphemous"! Erm..blasphemy? As in an act of insulting God?

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 17, 2015

@sagarikaghose by the way the term 'blasphemy' is also used in context of those we consider 'inviolable', do let me know if I'm wrong.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) December 17, 2015

@smritiirani perhaps we need some Pakistan-style blasphemy laws, then?

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 17, 2015

@smritiirani love to! Use of words like `blasphemy' shows a talibanisation of our public discourse which to me is v dangerous

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 17, 2015

@sagarikaghose didn't know you had a penchant for melodrama, nice. Beg your pardon now but productive work beckons.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) December 17, 2015

@smritiirani Thank you for the conversation. Have a good evening

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 17, 2015

With inputs from agencies