Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that it was RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who first shook hands with him and then pulled and hugged him.
Kejriwal clarified that he had not taken the initiative and that AAP was against Lalu’s record of corruption.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader also added that the party would continue to fight corruption and that he had not done any alliance with Lalu’s party.
“I go to Rashtrapati Bhawan. All party leaders come there. They meet us. In Nitish Kumar’s swearing in Lalu Yadav was on the stage. He shook hand and pulled me and hugged me. And held my hand and raised it. It was projected and questions were asked. We have not formed an alliance. We are against his record of corruption and we’ll always oppose it,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal made the comments at his party’s National Council meeting here.
Further, Kejriwal said that he was opposed to dynasty politics the kind that was witnessed in Bihar with two of Lalu’s sons sworn in as ministers.
“His two sons are ministers. We are against that too. I am happy that questions are being asked. Questions are being asked because people have hope, because they think we are different. Nobody asks questions when other leader hug Lalu ji, it’s good for us,” Kejriwal added.
The RJD chief cannot contest elections as of now as he has been convicted in a fodder scam case.
The Delhi CM has drew flak from various quarters for hugging RJD chief during the oath-taking ceremony of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
After the image of him embracing Lalu went viral, Kejriwal’s former colleague and Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said that it was a “shameful” act.
Yadav, who was expelled from AAP, added that said it was not mere hugging, but the defeat of ideals to form a bloc against the BJP.
LJP leader Chirag Paswan said he was surprised to see Kejriwal hugging Prasad.
“You cannot give Lalu ji a benefit of doubt as he has been convicted in a corruption case. Kejriwal is known for his anti-corruption stand and his hugging Lalu ji indicates whether he has stopped his war against corruption,” he said.
And BJP’s Sambit Patra too attacked Kejriwal saying the AAP chief used to hold one press conference after another in which he would name Prasad in his list of most corrupt politicians.
Kejriwal was criticised even on social media with many even posting a tweet of his that wrote in October 2013.
“Laloo made crores in fodder scam. But no order for recovery of that money. Just 25 lakh fine and few years in jail. A sweet deal,” the Delhi CM had tweeted.
