After the Delhi Chief Minister’s much-discussed “Who is Shinde to tell me…” remark, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar on Wednesday hit back at Arvind Kejriwal, dubbing the latter as a “mad Chief Minister”.
Speaking at a function at Hingoli in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, Shinde took a nasty jibe at Kejriwal by calling him “Veda” (mad) Chief Minister. Without taking Kejriwal’s name, Shinde alluded to the protests organised by the Aam Admi Party (AAP) outside the Rail Bhavan in New Delhi earlier in the week and said: “Because of a veda Chief Minister sitting there (on a dharna), I had to cancel the leaves of several police personnel in the capital”.
Even he took a pot shot at Kejriwal, Shinde related an incident of his life in a lighter vein: “ I had just married then. I was to go on a honeymoon with my wife. At that time I was a PSI with the Kherwadi police station at Bandra in Mumbai. I could not get leave because Mumbai was witnessing Shiv Sena-triggered riots then. leave applications of all police personnel, including mine, came to be cancelled…. likewise because a veda CM there, I had to cancel the leave applications of all police officials (in Delhi)”.
Shinde’s retaliation was apparently in response to a fierce criticism of him made by Kejriwal on Tuesday. Stung by the “hurdles” created by the Delhi Police for his dharna outside the Railway Bhavan, a petulant and self-proclaimed anarchist Chief Minister had said: “Who is Shinde to tell me where to protest and where not toIJ. I am the CM of Delhi and I have the right to decide and not Shinde Instead, I can decide where Shinde can stay.”