Charanjit Singh Channi said Arvind Kejriwal was prone to making iressponsible allegations.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wants to be Chief Minister of Punjab or at the very least rule via proxy, his counterpart from the election-going state Charanjit Singh Channi told NDTV on Wednesday.
"Kejriwal wants to be Chief Minister here. He wanted it in the past and will keep wanting it. But it's a demand that will never be fulfilled. He first spent Rs 200-400 crore on a campaign called 'Ab Ki Baar Kejriwal'. When people did not accept that, he added Bhagwant Mann's name to say 'Ab Ki baar Kejriwal aur Bhagwant Mann," Mr Channi said.
"But his name is still in the front. Which means he either wants to be Chief Minister or run it via remote control. Why should we Punjabis accept him? He is trying everything he can to capture Punjab. But he knows nothing about our culture," he added.
Brushing aside Mr Kejriwal's allegations linked to the recent raids on his nephew, the Chief Minister said, "Kejriwal says such things every time there are elections and then apologises. Such a person should not become Chief Minister who says sorry every time after making a mistake. Tomorrow again he'll say sorry."
Mr Channi and Mr Kejriwal have been nursing a growing rivalry in the months ahead of the February 20 elections.
While the Aam Aadmi Party chief has accused Mr Channi of copying his welfare measures introduced in Delhi and, more recently, cornered him over the anti-corruption raids on his nephew, the Congress leader has returned the favour with the charge of being an outsider and a flaky leader.
Charanjit Channi was also unsparing in his criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party's Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann, criticising his school record - "he took 3 years to clear Class 12. I have an MA and I'm doing a PhD" - and his vow to quit drinking - "call him after 4 pm someday".
Shrugging off his rivalry with the party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who he edged out for the party's nomination on Sunday, the Congress leader quipped: "All's well that ends well. There is no infighting. Congress will win 2/3rds majority."