Senior AAP member and former Union Minister Shanti Bhushan on Friday refused to have a meeting with BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi. According to Bhushan, though he appreciated Bedi, his views for the party are still the same and he will always be an AAP member.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “AAP is a democratic party and Shanti Bhushan’s refusal to meet Bedi shows that while we voice our opinions openly, we also stand by each other. We will never disrespect a senior leader like Shanti Bhushan.”
After showering praises for Bedi, the BJP CM candidate had expressed her desire to meet with the senior AAP member on Friday morning. This request was reportedly turned down by Bhushan, who said that he had no interest in joining BJP.
Singh on Friday said during a Press briefing that Bhushan had made it clear to Bedi that while he supported Bedi, he would never support BJP. “Shanti Bhushan has clearly said that he holds the same views about BJP which he did before. He just spoke what he felt and there is nothing wrong in that. However, he has clarified that he will always be with AAP,” added Singh.
Singh also said that the party is not going to disrespect Bhushan since he is a father figure for them. “We are not like BJP or Congress where people in the party have no freedom to speak their heart and where senior leaders like lK Advani are disrespected. We are a democratic party where we stand by each other even if there is a difference of opinion on certain things. Shanti Bhushan knows our party in and out and there is nothing to hide from him. We respect him and will never put him down,” elaborated Singh.