Kiran Bedi as CM candidate a 'masterstroke' by BJP: Shanti Bhushan

NEW DELHI: In a blunt attack on Arvind Kejriwal in the midst of election campaign in Delhi, AAP founder-member Shanti Bhushan today called for his removal as the party chief in "due course" and termed BJP's move to field Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial nominee a "masterstroke".

Bhushan, who has been critical of Kejriwal for past several months, said Bedi's contribution to the Anna-led anti-graft movement was significant and even supported her comments praising RSS.

"Kiran Bedi's joining BJP is a masterstroke of BJP. I feel to bring her into the party and making her the CM nominee was a masterstroke because Bedi during Anna's movement was with (Arvind) Kejriwal and Prashant (Bhushan) and her contribution there was influential as a crusader of corruption," he said.

The former Union Law Minister replied in the affirmative when asked whether Kejriwal should be removed as AAP chief.

"Yes, in due course because he has strayed," he said, adding Kejriwal was giving up even the principle of 'swaraj'.

Bhushan said party's National Council will take a decision on Kejriwal's removal.

When asked to comment, Kejriwal said Bhushan's remarks showed there was "internal democracy" in the party. "We have an internal Lokpal within the party that only recently took a decision to replace two candidates. His comments go on to prove that the party has internal democracy," Kejriwal said.

Bhushan's son and member of the party's National Executive Prashant Bhushan, however, did not agree with his father's assessment of Bedi.

"When AAP was being created she said we should not jump into politics and now she has joined a party. I don't think that even if she becomes the CM, she can do something good," he said.

Responding to praises heaped on her, Bedi thanked Bhushan for the "good words", refusing to comment further.