The Aam Aadmi Party’s convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday revealed that several members of the Bharatiya Janata Party were in regular touch with him to say they were not going to let the saffron party’s chief ministerial face Kiran Bedi win “at any cost” and that the BJP had only brought her in so that it could blame its eventual “loss of face” in Delhi on her.
“Every day, somebody from the BJP calls me up and says, Arvindji do not worry, we will never let Kiran Bedi win,” said Mr. Kejriwal, to the accompaniment of loud cheers, before adding: “I tell them I am not worried.”
Speaking at a rally at the Greater Kailash constituency here on Saturday, Mr. Kejriwal also repeated the controversial statement urging people to “take any money or gift that was offered to them by the BJP or the Congress, but to cast their vote only to the AAP”.
Mr. Kejriwal’s comments follow a turbulent week for the BJP, which has witnessed infighting and several public protests over ticket distribution for the upcoming polls. Sources said that senior BJP leaders have also been unhappy with Ms. Bedi’s induction into the BJP and her nomination as the chief ministerial candidate.
“The BJP won everywhere else but when it came to Delhi, it had to catch its breath. They got their MPs here, but they could not be controlled. They went around making statements like women should have four children each, that they should not work, possess mobile phones or wear jeans,” he said. “They realised that these MPs would only make the few votes that they had go away. That is also one of the reasons they brought in Kiran Bedi. They know they are going to lose and they don’t want to lose face, since they have won everywhere else. So, they will just say Kiran Bedi made us lose,” added Mr. Kejriwal.
He also said that he had felt extremely bad when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him a Naxalite and asked him to go to the jungle. “This sort of politics is not right. Instead of insulting people and calling them names, issues should be debated,” he said, adding that the picture of Mr. Modi and Anil Ambani with a broom was suggestive of what the BJP was all about. “I am not friends with Anil Ambani and I have no relationship with him. My relationship is with you only,” he said, adding that the BJP had failed to keep any of its 2013 election promises.
“The BJP has not kept any of its election promises, instead they are busy building temples for Nathuram Godse and indulging in conversions. They also said that they would bring down corruption, but I am asking you, ‘Have the big officers stopped taking bribes?’ In eight months they could not do what we did in 49 days. Actually, they can also do it. In fact, we can help them do it. But they will not do it because they lack integrity,” he said, while informing the “BJP supporters” in the crowd that even their house expenses were not being met.
“I am the only one who will become useful to you,” he said, adding that the Congress shouldn’t even be counted as one of the players.
“I know you gave the BJP your votes with a lot of hope last year, but they let you down. I will not let you down,” he said, before reminding them again not to let go of any money or other gifts that the BJP might offer. “Some of the BJP members have been telling me that by telling the people this, I have spoilt their chances.”
