Delhi CM on defensive as BJP pastes Lalu hug posters

After his image embracing RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav went viral, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sought to defend himself by saying that the RJD chief had “pulled and hugged him,” and the gesture did not amount to a political “alliance.”

Mr Kejriwal added that during the Bihar elections, the AAP had worked “against the BJP” and supported the chief ministerial candidature of Nitish Kumar. He termed the JD(U) leader as a “good person” and someone who has done “good work.”

“I go to Rashtrapati Bhavan. All party leaders come there. They meet us. At Nitish Kumar’s swearing-in, Mr Lalu Yadav was on the stage. He shook hands 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,” he said.

The AAP national convenor made the remarks during the party’s national council meet. Mr Kejriwal said he was against dynasty politics and the fact that the RJD chief’s “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 Laluji, it’s good for us,” Mr Kejriwal added. The chief minister faced flak from various quarters for hugging Mr Yadav, a convict in the fodder scam, at the oath-taking ceremony of Mr Kumar on November 20.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday launched a poster campaign against Mr Kejriwal for hugging the scam-tainted Mr Yadav. The Delhi BJP unit placed posters at various places across the national capital. The hoardings say: “Anna kal ki baat hai, ab Laluji ka saath hai (Anna is the past, Lalu is the present),” with the picture of Mr Kejriwal hugging Mr Yadav, who has been barred from contesting elections after being convicted in the fodder scam, at the oath-taking ceremony of the new Bihar Cabinet.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said, “Kejriwal claimed that he is doing a different kind of politics and is honest among all the politicians. But, after spending two years in politics, he has been exposed. He is no different than Lalu. Lalu has not only been charged, but convicted in the fodder scam.”

Expelled AAP leader Yogendra Yadav described the gesture as a “shameful” act. Mr Yadav said it was not mere hugging, but the defeat of ideals to form a bloc against the BJP. “Political capital of the movement sold to symbols of political corruption. Ashamed!,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal was criticised on social media with many posting a tweet of his that he wrote in October 2013: “Lalu 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.”