The AAP and BJP on Saturday locked horns yet again over the issue of their respective chief ministerial faces.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal led the charge citing “sources” who had confirmed to his party that BJP’s Kalkaji candidate, Ramesh Bidhuri – whose statements against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Delhi
Chief Minister Atishi last week triggered a furore – would be the BJP’s CM face and challenged the former South Delhi MP to a debate.
The BJP, meanwhile, accused Kejriwal of seeking to create “confusion” since he was sure that he was losing the February 5 elections.
“The Delhi elections are approaching. During elections, everyone wants to know who the chief ministerial candidate from each party is. From the AAP’s side, this has been clear from the beginning. The entire party had decided unanimously that I, Arvind Kejriwal, would be the chief ministerial candidate,” Kejriwal said, adding that this was not the case with the BJP.
“Yesterday, their (BJP) Central Election Committee held a meeting. According to sources, it has been learnt that the BJP may have decided in that meeting to nominate Ramesh Bidhuri as its chief ministerial candidate. It is being said, as per sources, that an official announcement about Ramesh Bidhuri’s name will be made within a day or two,” he added.
After congratulating Bidhuri, the former Delhi CM urged him to explain what work he has done for Delhi in the last 10 years as a Member of Parliament.
The BJP had not fielded Bidhuri in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, replacing him by former Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, from the South Delhi seat.
“What is his vision for Delhi? What plans does he have for the city and its people if he becomes the Chief Minister? He should clarify these to the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal said.
“Once his candidacy is officially announced, I propose that to strengthen democracy, there should be a public debate between the AAP candidate and the BJP candidate, Ramesh Bidhuri, in front of the people of Delhi, the nation, and the media. In this debate, people can assess who to vote for, based on what each has accomplished, their visions, and their plans for Delhi,” he added.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva termed Kejriwal’s claim about Bidhuri a “cooked up story”. “Kejriwal should know that BJP’s CM face will be decided by party MLAs and its national leadership. Arvind Kejriwal knows that he is losing the Delhi election to the BJP and so is trying to create confusion,” Sachdeva said.
“Kejriwal has sought to cite unknown sources to cite that Bidhuri might be our CM face but I challenge Arvind Kejriwal, who is promoting himself as CM candidate, to take legal opinion from a advocate and understand that he can’t ever be sworn in as CM in view of Supreme Court bindings,” he added.
Sachdeva further said that “all BJP candidates” for the Assembly elections “are chief ministerial candidates.” “Ours is a thoroughly democratic party where elected MLAs elect their party leader who lays claim to be the CM of Delhi,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing slum dwellers in Delhi on Saturday, also lashed out at Kejriwal over his claim that the BJP had finalised its Bidhuri as the CM face. “Can Kejriwal decide the BJP’s chief ministerial face,” he asked, adding that the AAP chief’s “manipulations” were understood by the people of Delhi.
Bidhuri will take on Atishi, who is seeking reelection from Kalkaji seat. He had recently said that Atishi “changed her father” by changing her surname from Marlena to Singh. His remark that he would make roads in Kalkaji smooth like “Priyanka Gandhi’s cheeks” had also drawn flak.
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