AAP's Co-founder Shanti Bhushan Praises Rival BJP's Kiran Bedi

In an embarrassment to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one of its co-founders Shanti Bhushan has said that rival BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi is "most likely to give us an honest and efficient government." 

"I have known her intimately from the days of the movement and do expect that she will provide a very clean administration to Delhi," said Bhushan, NDTV reports.

The statement has the potential to spoil AAP's chances in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections in which the party's CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal is pitted against Kiran Bedi.

He also said that Bedi would "definitely be the best competitor for Arvind."

Journalist-turned-AAP leader Ashutosh Gupta quickly dismissed Bhushan's statements, saying a comparison between Bedi and Kejriwal is inappropriate as Bedi has just joined the BJP, after having criticised it earlier as corrupt, whereas Kejriwal has never compromised on corruption.

The 89-year-old co-founder of AAP had criticised Kejriwal after the general elections last year.

Bhushan said that a reorganisation of AAP is the urgent need of the hour as the party was not functioning as it was expected to and what is was established for.

In the recent past, Bhushan had made statements questioning the working style of AAP. 

However, Bhushan was careful about the fact of distancing himself from the BJP, saying that he has also been against the saffron party's communal agenda but was also sure that Bedi was a secular and fair person.