We will carefully consider President's speech: AAP

NEW DELHI: After initially being in denial, Aam Aadmi Party today acknowledged that President Pranab Mukherjee's remarks that "populist anarchy" cannot be a substitute for governance may be a reference to them, saying the party will carefully consider whatever he has said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made no direct comment on the President's speech but re-tweeted a post by noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

"Dear Mr President. Activism and Anarchy are not the same. Anarchy was 1984 when mobs went on rampage killing Sikhs. Provoked by State n Police...," Kapur tweeted.

Shortly after the address, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav had said the President's speech was not about AAP.

"I have full belief that President must have greater things in his mind. When he talks about anarchy, he looks towards the nation. He must be thinking about what is happening in Gujarat, Punjab and the entire country," Yadav had said.

By the evening today, AAP took a different line. "Whatever President said, we don't want to make comments in this regard as he is the first citizen of this country. If he has said something about us, we would carefully listen to him and consider it," Ashutosh, AAP leader and journalist-turned politician, told reporters here.

Mukherjee had yesterday made a veiled attack on Kejriwal's street protest, saying the government is not "charity shop" and "populist anarchy" cannot be a substitute for governance.

"Government is not a charity shop. Populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance. False promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power," Mukherjee had said while addressing the nation on the eve of Republic Day.

Meanwhile, slamming Kejriwal for staging a two-day dharna outside Rail Bhavan defying prohibitory orders, BJP president Rajnath Singh said his party welcomed President's remark on AAP.