Kejriwal acknowledged BJP retaining power: Party on his speech

New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants Amit Shah to succeed him is an acknowledgement by the AAP leader that the saffron party is set to retain power at the Centre for a third straight term.

Mounting a counter-charge on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo following his stinging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Kejriwal is speaking of the ruling party's succession plan but could not trust any of his party colleagues to succeed him despite being jailed on money-laundering charges.

With Kejriwal throwing the dictatorship barb at Modi, Trivedi said it is a case of pot calling the kettle black, noting that the AAP leader dumped many of his colleagues like Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Kumar Vishwas and Kiran Bedi, and discarded the principles he espoused when he joined politics.

So many people have been abusive towards Modi and continue to do so, the BJP leader said, rejecting the dictator charge.

Anna Hazare was to Kejriwal what Deen Dayal Upadhyay is to the BJP and the Maharashtra-based activist ended up denouncing him for his role in the alleged excise scam in Delhi, he said, hitting back at the AAP leader over his charge against Modi for the prime minister's treatment of many party colleagues, including veterans.

The Modi government bestowed Bharat Ratna on L K Advani, Trivedi noted.

As someone high on alcohol reveals the truth at times, so has Kejriwal after being involved in the alleged liquor scam and going to jail, he said mockingly.

Kejriwal has acknowledged that Modi is coming back to power, Trivedi said, referring to the Delhi chief minister's claim that the prime minister wants Union Home Minister Shah to succeed him after he turns 75 next year.

Kejriwal had cited the BJP's practice of retiring many leaders from government positions after they turned 75.

Noting that Kejriwal said the BJP will not get more than 220 to 230 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Trivedi said when the AAP leader is giving so many seats to his party despite being so full of hate for it, it means the ruling alliance can fetch around double the tally predicted by him.

That Kejriwal claimed that the prime minister is most worried about the AAP is a point of concern for the Congress as the grand old party has been reduced to a secondary status in the opposition alliance by the AAP leader, he said.

The BJP leader slammed Kejriwal for his assertion that he was implicated in a false case, saying he has violated the Supreme Court's condition for his interim bail that he will not make any comment on the charges against him.

The court has even asked him to share his live locations and made it clear that his release from jail has nothing to do with the merits of the case, Trivedi noted, accusing Kejriwal of "contempt of court". The apex court should take note of this, he said.

Kejriwal has become the biggest symbol when it comes to demolishing values in politics and his speech reflected a low-level discourse while showing a mirror to his allies, he claimed.

The AAP leader is an example of how detrimental the so-called new politics can be, Trivedi said, urging people to support the tried and trusted leadership of Modi.

He also took a jibe at Kejriwal over Pakistani leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain welcoming his release from jail in a post on X.