Arvind Kejriwal is 'unscrupulous', will join hands with PM Modi when it suits him: Prashant Bhushan

On 23 May, Swaraj Abhiyan founder Prashant Bhushan lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused him of being "totally unscrupulous". Bhushan said that the Aam Aadmi Party leader would join hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for personal gains.

The senior lawyer, who is currently on a private visit to US, made the comments on 23 May. "Kejriwal is totally unscrupulous... The day it suits him, he will join hands with Modi. I have no doubt about it," he said.

The Kejriwal-led Delhi government and the Modi-led Centre have been at loggerheads over a range of issues over the past one year. Bhushan, who founded Swaraj Abhiyan along with Yogendra Yadav after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) last year, said he regrets having not "recognised" such traits of Kejriwal early on.

"He used people like me and Yogendra to gain credibility, and at the same time ensured that he enjoys majority in decision-making bodies of AAP so that he can go ahead with his agenda," he added.

Bhushan also alleged that Kejriwal is not interested in fighting corruption and said he had been hearing about corruption cases against AAP MLAs. "He does not want accountability for himself," Bhushan said."Arvind has Manmohan Singh syndrome, who never took money himself but allowed others around him to take money," the former AAP leader alleged.

Talking about assembly elections in Punjab, Bhushan said an Aam Admi Party government in the state would be rudderless and chaotic. "Congress, in fact, is a much nicer choice in Punjab. In my view they would be better than AAP. They (Congress) have experience. There is no principal left in AAP," he said.

Bhushan also said that the Swaraj Abhiyan is not ready yet to jump into politics. "This will take about a year," he said, adding that before joining electoral politics, Swaraj Abhiyan wants to establish within itself the principles of transparency, accountability and democracy.

"We do not want to repeat the mistakes we did in the case of AAP," he said, adding that people like him were taken for a ride by Kejriwal.--PTI