Old guard in BJP unhappy over Kiran Bedi’s induction

NEW DELHI: Super cop Kiran Bedi’s induction into BJP has evoked mixed reactions among the party rank and file, with some resenting the decision as she has stolen their thunder while others feel only she has the charisma and stature to take on Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

However, most workers were critical of BJP brass for bringing in leaders like Krishna Tirath, Vinod Binny and even Shazia Ilmi, who were earlier critical of the party, but have now done a U-turn. There is heartburn among some that Tirath — till recently a prominent Dalit leader of Congress — and Binny are likely to be given tickets, depriving others who had slogged for BJP for years and were hopeful of securing a ticket. The new entrants to BJP fold were a hot topic of discussion at the party state office on Monday. “Bedi is going to lose. You just wait and see,” said a party worker.

Others around him concurred and added party workers and leaders who have participated in agitations and protests for the last 16 years when BJP was in opposition have been ‘short-changed’.

However, Bedi has supporters among party workers: “People of Delhi feel harassed by the police. It is just impossible to lodge an FIR. Women cannot visit police stations.

If Bedi becomes CM, this will change,” said a party worker from Rohini. GS Bhardwaj, a BJP MLA between 1993 and 1998, said Bedi, Tirath, Binny and others would help the party win seats. “In Haryana BJP got a lot of Congress leaders into the party and gave them tickets and they won. These new members will be able to take on the challenge posed by Kejriwal,” he said.

“People who stayed with the party for over 40 years in its worst phases are being ignored.”