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Sandeep Kumar's Sex Tape: Prefer To Die Than Tolerate Wrongdoings, Says Arvind Kejriwal

"Sandeep Kumar betrayed the party, betrayed the AAP movement and the trust people have reposed on AAP."
Arvind Kejriwal, the head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which briefly controlled the state government in Delhi, looks out from inside his car as he arrives at a court in New Delhi May 21, 2014.
Adnan Abidi / Reuters
Arvind Kejriwal, the head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which briefly controlled the state government in Delhi, looks out from inside his car as he arrives at a court in New Delhi May 21, 2014.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said sacked minister Sandeep Kumar had "betrayed" the core values on which AAP will never compromise and hit out at rival parties for their "indifference" in taking action in cases of wrongdoings and corruption.

In a video message, Kejriwal asserted that he will prefer to die than stray from AAP's principles, adding the same rule will apply to himself and all other senior leaders.

"Sandeep Kumar betrayed the party, he betrayed the AAP movement and the trust people across the country have reposed on AAP. We will never ever compromise on our core values. We will prefer to die than tolerate wrongdoings," he said.

In a sudden move, Kumar, who held the Women and Child Welfare and Social Welfare portfolios, was sacked from the council of ministers yesterday by Kejriwal after he received a nine-minute-long CD in which Kumar was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.

Delhi Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar talking with media person after a meeting to discuss the CBI raid on office of Principal Secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Delhi Secretariat on December 15, 2015.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar talking with media person after a meeting to discuss the CBI raid on office of Principal Secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Delhi Secretariat on December 15, 2015.

"We never cover up when we get evidence of any wrongdoing. AAP takes action as soon as we get any evidence. That differentiates us from other political parties. It is sad that such people (Kumar) were with AAP," Kejriwal said.

Rebutting BJP's criticism, Kejriwal asked the party what action it had taken against allegations of wrongdoings against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

He also attacked Congress and wondered "why the party shied away from taking action against its Punjab Chief Amarinder Singh when it was found that his family has Swiss bank accounts."

The decision to remove 36-year-old Kumar was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top AAP leaders last night. Kumar alleged that he was being targeted under a "conspiracy" as he was a dalit and demanded a probe into the issue.

"This is a conspiracy against me as I belong to Valmiki Samaj. There should be a probe into this matter. There is no authenticity of this CD. Authenticity should be checked," he told reporters at his residence here.

"I am paying the price of being poor and a Dalit," Kumar told the media.

Kumar represents the Sultanpur Majra constituency and is the second AAP minister to be sacked after Asim Ahmed Khan, Minister for Food and Supplies, who was let go for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 6 lakh from a builder. The sackings are only half the trouble that the Aam Aadmi Party has faced in the last few months.

In June last year, then Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar resigned after he was arrested on the charge of possessing fake degrees.

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