Kiran Bedi puts BJP scarf around Lala Lajpat Rai's statue, triggers controversy

New Delhi: BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi on Wednesday stoked a controversy by putting her party's scarf around the statue of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai in Krishna Nagar before filing her nomination, which drew sharp criticism from AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Before filing her nomination, Bedi paid tribute to Lala Lajpat Rai and also cleaned his statue in Krishna Nagar and put a saffron coloured BJP scarf (patka) having the party symbol around it. However, she removed it from the statue a few minutes later.

The former IPS officer also met tea and newspaper sellers in Krishna Nagar before taking out her roadshow and inquired about the kind of issues they were facing

I have filed my nomination, no error has been found, we have emerged as first class first: Kiran Bedi pic.twitter.com/Nzyww2gcOI

— ANI (@ANI_news) January 21, 2015

Reacting to the incident, Kejriwal said that she should not "saffronize" the freedom fighters.

"At least spare the freedom fighters. At least do not saffronize them free fighters. A freedom fighter does not belong to any party, he belongs to the country. We should not divide him into BJP or Congress or this and that party," Kejriwal told reporters here.

Bedi will contest assembly elections from Krishna Nagar constituency, which is a BJP's stronghold.

Delhi will go to Assembly poll on February 7 while counting of voters will be held on February 10.

Kiran Bedi should apologise to nation, an insult to Lala Lajpat Rai: AS Lovely on Kiran Bedi garlanding LL Rai’s statue with BJP’s stole

— ANI (@ANI_news) January 21, 2015