BJP leader L.K. Advani on Friday called off a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, raising questions about whether the BJP had intervened in the matter.
Mr. Kejriwal was among the first to respond to an interview published on Thursday in which Mr. Advani spoke of his fear that the Emergency could be imposed again in the country since the “forces that can crush democracy are stronger”.
Several Opposition leaders had interpreted the remark as a barb against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Mr. Kejriwal was also quick to tweet a statement. “Advani ji is correct in saying that emergency can’t be ruled out. Is Delhi their first experiment?,” he had said in a reference to his recent struggles with the Centre over the administration of Delhi.
The AAP chief, along with other senior leaders in the party, was to meet Mr. Advani on Friday evening. However, the meeting was cancelled after Mr. Advani’s office told them that he was busy and would not be able to meet them.
Though the party has insisted that Mr. Advani’s remarks were aimed at institutions rather than any individual, sources admitted that the interview had added to the party’s problems at a time when two of its senior leaders are ensnared in a scandal.
The BJP’s Delhi unit leaders mocked Mr. Kejriwal, and said it was good that he was trying to draw inspiration from Mr. Advani. “Like many party men in the BJP who draw inspiration from Mr. Advani, I think Kejriwal too wanted to do so,” said Vijender Gupta, Leader of the Opposition.
