BJP fielded Bedi as CM as party is scared of Kejriwal: Vishwas

New Delhi, Jan 21: AAP leader Kumar Vishwas today took a dig at BJP's decision to field Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate, claiming that the rival party took the decision as it was "scared" of its leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Vishwas, while addressing an election rally at Rajouri Garden here also said that party had "sidelined" all its old candidates and chosen an old member of their (AAP's) family. "The entire BJP national cadre does not have one face even after a year. Keeping aside all the leaders who have been associated with the party from the past 40 years, they have taken our elder sister (Bedi) in the fight," Vishwas said.

Raking up the issue of "internal rift" within the BJP over Bedi, Vishwas claimed that the BJP leaders were "disappointed" on the selection of Bedi as the CM candidate. He further said that the party is "scared" of Kejriwal which is why the CM candidate was declared days before the results have been declared.

"I am just seeing the faces of the BJP leaders from the past few days. Satish Upadhayay seems to be disappointed. In all the Assembly elections, the BJP was fighting portraying Modi as the face of the party. This is the first time in the past one year that the BJP has declared its CM candidate. This shows that the BJP is scared of Kejriwal," he claimed.

He accused the Modi government of "doing the least to curb corruption" in the country and took a jibe at the party for its pre-poll promise of bringing back the blackmoney in "100 days of coming to power."

"The fight for corruption stands the same even after a year. Only the face has changed. Last year the fight was with Congress and this year it is with the BJP. The BJP has done nothing to address the issue of blackmoney," Vishwas said. Taking a jibe at Bedi, Vishwas said that "she was highly influenced by the teachings of Modi" and this was evident from "her action to leave a TV debate last night".

"Kiran Bedi says that she is impressed by the teachings of Modi and the way he works. This was seen yesterday when she left a TV show yesterday when she was asked a question. This points at the influence of Modi on her," Vishwas claimed. He also accused the government of "spreading communalism" by offering compensation to the victims of Sikh riots. "None of the governments took any step to help the victims of the Sikh riots. Not even the BJP. Then how did they get this sudden idea of providing compensation to the victims," said Vishwas.

PTI