New Delhi:
Hours after the BJP's Kiran Bedi snubbed him on his challenge to a public debate, Arvind Kejriwal campaigned in the constituency from where she is contesting next month's polls. (
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"The BJP promised electricity, but throughout Delhi there is no power," Mr Kejriwal said as he addressed a public meeting at Krishna Nagar in east Delhi on Tuesday evening.
The BJP on Monday named Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, picking Krishna Nagar, a safe seat, for her first ever election.
Mr Kejriwal addressed a meeting just a stone's throw from the BJP office, not long after Ms Bedi addressed party workers there.
Earlier today, the Aam Aadmi Party chief challenged Ms Bedi to a public debate, but she said she would debate him "on the floor of the assembly."
Last night, the BJP acknowledged Arvind Kejriwal as the man to beat in Delhi, when it picked as its chief ministerial candidate not a seasoned party veteran but former top cop turned activist Kiran Bedi, who joined the party and also politics only four days ago.
"Congrats 4 being nominated as BJP's CM candidate. I invite u 4 a public debate moderated by neutral person n telecast by all," Mr Kejriwal tweeted this morning. He later said that a two-hour long debate should be held before the elections at a location of Ms Bedi's choice.
"Arvind only believes in debate, I believe in delivering. Debates will happen on floor of the Assembly," Ms Bedi shot back, saying she was accepting the challenge.
Ms Bedi and Mr Kejriwal are both officers who became activists and have joined politics pledging to clean the system. They were the closest advisers to Gandhian activist Anna Hazare during his campaign for more accountability and transparency through new anti-graft laws. They fell out over Mr Kejriwal's decision to launch a political party.
Mr Kejriwal held a four-hour roadshow today and will file his nomination papers from the New Delhi constituency that he wrested in the last election from the Congress' Sheila Dikshit.