BJP was on the verge of drowning, Kiran Bedi has ensured the needful: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal says Kiran Bedi’s anointment as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate has only resulted in uniting the factions in the party that will work to sabotage her chances in the upcoming assembly polls in Delhi. In an interview with ET, Kejriwal says Bedi has much to explain about her decision to join the BJP and adds that the voters will decide on the basis of AAP government’s 49-day rule against what he calls BJP’s seven months of misrule at the Centre. Edited excerpts:

ET: How has the electoral race changed after Kiran Bedi’s anointment as the CM candidate?

Arvind Kejriwal: BJP was on the verge of drowning when she entered the scene. She has played a big role in drowning this party completely. Earlier, it was a divided house. There were too many groups. Now all these groups have got together to sabotage her shot at chief ministership.



ET: What was your first reaction to her joining BJP?

Arvind Kejriwal: Major surprise. I don’t remember where I was when I first heard about it, but my first thoughts were, ‘Yaar BJP hi mili jaane ke liye (could she not find a better political party than BJP to join)?’



ET: When was the last time you spoke to her?

Arvind Kejriwal: She stopped answering my calls after the coal block agitation about two years ago. She stopped replying to my messages as well.



ET: Why were you trying to reach her then?

Arvind Kejriwal: She had said that we should not have gheraoed (then BJP president Nitin) Gadkari’s house. We did it and she went publicly against us. We wanted to get her back to our side but she did not relent. Souring of relations would be an understatement for what happened after that. Our relationship did not exist after that. It’s like someone had switched off a button



ET: Can you recall your relationship with her during the India Against Corruption days?

Arvind Kejriwal: I had a good working relationship with her. Even today I consider her my elder sister. I met her first when I won the Magsaysay award.



ET: You have said that the people of Delhi are feeling cheated with her decision? Are you feeling cheated as well?

Arvind Kejriwal: I am not important, the people are. I have met a lot of people who have told me that if she wanted to join politics then she should have joined AAP. And if she liked the BJP so much then, why was she part of the (Anna) movement? Either she was wrong then or she is wrong now.



ET: Considering you had an excellent working relationship with her, how difficult is it for you to criticise her now?

Arvind Kejriwal: I will not attack her personally. I have great respect for her and I’ll keep respecting her. We will fight this election on issues. But it seems she doesn’t want to debate on issues. Why is she running away from a debate?



ET: There are too many similarities between you and Kiran Bedi, which seem to have confused fence-sitters even more. Your comment.

Arvind Kejriwal: Yes, there are similarities, but people are not going to decide their support based on this. People will compare AAP’s 49 days with BJP’s seven months of misrule in the capital. People are feeling that she has changed. She herself had said once that voters should not vote for a party that does not encourage transparency in funding. Has BJP made its funding transparent? She had said that people should not vote for party that appoints people accused of rape as ministers. BJP’s central minister is accused of rape. Why did she join them? She spoke of CBI’s independence. Is it independent now? Is BJP not misusing the CBI?

ET: Your colleagues have said that she always had BJP leanings, even during the Anna movement. Did you feel the same?

Arvind Kejriwal: I felt this when she asked us to not protest outside (Nitin) Gadkari's residence during the kolya kranti (coal block agitation).

ET: But what about the time you were still working with her?

Arvind Kejriwal: It was difficult to tell then.