Immediately after Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday chose the only woman minister in his Cabinet Atishi to succeed him as the Delhi Chief Minister, the BJP took a dig at the duo, calling Atishi "Kejriwal's puppet". It released a poster depicting Atishi as a marionette being controlled with puppeteer's strings by Arvind Kejriwal.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Atishi was an unwilling Chief Minister. "Arvind Kejriwal has forced Atishi to be CM. Just the face has changed. Atishi will also have to answer to Kejriwal," Sachdeva claimed. "AAP can change the faces and do a makeover but their leaders can’t change their habit. This makeover won’t change anything," he said.
ALSO READ | Atishi To Succeed Arvind Kejriwal As Delhi's New CM, Third Woman To Hold Post In National Capital
Congratulating Atishi, Delhi BJP leader Manoj Tiwari accused Arvind Kejriwal of bringing Delhi to tears with his policies. There are potholes on the roads of Delhi. Electricity and water bills are increasing rapidly. The elderly are not getting their pensions. The reign of the tanker mafia continues. Atishi must pay attention to all these issues now," he said. "Arvind Kejriwal got 9 years and 8 months. Atishi is getting three months. After that, the code of conduct will come into force. I don't want to politicise this. I just want to congratulate Atishi," Manoj Tiwari added.
ALSO READ | Atishi, Only Woman In Delhi Cabinet, Set To Be Youngest Current CM In India
BJP leader Kapil Mishra accused the AAP of choosing a leader to lead Delhi who had "no connection" to Anna Hazare's India Against Corruption movement. He also accused Kejriwal of promoting "Naxal mentality" in Delhi. "Atishi's family had tried to stop the hanging of terrorist Afzal Guru. Kejriwal is committing the sin of imposing a Naxalite mentality on Delhi through the backdoor. Today, the Aam Aadmi Party is choosing a CM who never had any connection with Anna's movement and India Against Corruption. The people of Delhi will never accept a Naxalite Communist Chief Minister," Kapil Mishra posted on X.
What Congress Said On Atishi's Elevation As CM
AAP's INDIA bloc partner Congress, too, hit out at Atishi. Congress leader Udit Raj lashed out at the CM designate. Udit Raj said she was working contrary to her promises before the Delhi elections in 2020. "You are not fulfilling what you promised. You only worry about winning elections," Udit Raj said reported ABP News.
Although AAP and Congress are part of the INDIA bloc against the BJP at the Centre, the two are not allied in most states. The most intense of rivalry between the two parties can be seen in Delhi and Punjab.