New Delhi: The ongoing war between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan and his expelled party colleague Prashant Bhushan turned uglier on Tuesday when the former dared the latter to prove the charges of misconduct he had made against him.
Speaking to reporters, AAP leader Ashish Khetan today said, “Until now the Bhushans have been levelling allegation after allegation. Either they have to prove their honesty or prove my dishonesty.”
Lashing out at his former AAP colleague Prashant and his father Shanti Bhushan, Khetan accused them of running a PIL industry worth several hundred crores and amassing huge wealth.
“The Bhushans are running a PIL industry. Have Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant built their empire worth 500-700 crores by filing PILs only? They need to prove that,” said Khetan.
Daring the Bhushans to prove him wrong, the AAP leader stated that if allegations against him are proved, he will quit public life.
Khetan, however, warned the father-son duo that he won't spare them as they have challenged an aam aadmi (himself) this time.
AAP dissident leader Prashant Bhushan had on Monday hit back at the party leadership over the show-cause notice issued to him by the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC), accusing its members Pankaj Gupta of accepting donations from dubious companies and Ashish Khetan of doing a "paid news" story, favouring a company.
In his response to the notice which was issued to him on April 17, Bhushan questioned the move saying both Gupta and Khetan had levelled allegations against him and in such a scenario, how can they be "judges" in this case.
The party's NDC, headed by Dinesh Waghela with Khetan and Gupta as its members, had charged Bhushan with anti-party activities by asking people not to make donations to the party. Bhushan also accused Gupta of not implementing several decisions of the NDC.
The AAP panel after examining the replies filed by Yadav and Bhushan later expelled the two from the party.
