Arvind Kejriwal praises Harsh Vardhan, ignores Sheila Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday described BJP leader Harsh Vardhan, who was a chief ministerial contender, as a "good man" but added he would not say that about his party.

"Harsh Vardhan is a good man, I know him," Kejriwal said in a speech after taking oath of office at the Ramlila Maidan here.

"But I cannot say that about his party," the Aam Aadmi Party leader added, triggering laughter in the crowds packing the sprawling ground.

Doctor-turned-politician Harsh Vardhan was the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the Delhi election. But he failed to form a government as his party fell four short of a majority in the assembly.

Kejriwal did not mention Sheila Dikshit, his predecessor in the job for 15 years, in his speech.

On Dec 4, when Delhi cast its vote for the assembly elections, Sheila Dikshit, was visibly irritated when mediapersons asked her of the new entrant in Delhi politics, "Who is Arvind Kejriwal? What is AAP? Can you call it a party that can be compared to the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?

AAP is generally talked about because the gentleman and the party have a way of projecting themselves," she retorted.