If the city’s residents had not already been bombarded with news of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi on Tuesday made sure residents of Krishna Nagar hear all about it.
During a visit to the constituency from where she will contest the February 7 polls, Ms. Bedi made a reference to President Obama’s visit and lauded the Centre’s diplomatic efforts for bolstering India’s international image.
However, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay was quick to said that “Mr. Obama’s visit should not be linked with the elections” and it just so happened that the city was gearing up for elections.
Ms. Bedi said, “We want a Delhi where we can live to the highest point along with the entire nation. Today, President Obama's visit has made India fly, hasn’t it? India now looks like the number one country in the world.”
Her comments invited criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party with leader Ashish Khetan questioning the timing of Mr. Obama’s visit. Another party leader Sanjay Singh said the BJP was trying to rev up its “dwindling support base”.
However, other BJP leaders remained unfazed by the accusations of the AAP saying Mr. Obama’s visit is something which all Indians should be proud of.
BJP national secretary Anil Jain told reporters that it should be seen as an “achievement of the Central government and the BJP should promote all achievements of the Centre”.
