Kejriwal's dharna 'anarchic, drama': Congress and BJP

New Delhi/Bhopal: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday came under sharp attack from various parties for leading a dharna, with outside supporter Congress saying a government cannot be run from the streets and opposition BJP terming the protest as 'anarchic' and wondering if AAP was aiming to 'wreck' the system from within.

The BJP also hit out at Congress for its 'misjudgement' in supporting AAP due to which Delhi was paying the price.

In an unprecedented action that put his government on a collision course with the Delhi Police, Kejriwal and his ministers began a dharna outside Rail Bhavan demanding action against police officials who refused to carry out a raid on an alleged drug and prostitution racket in South Delhi last week.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde asked Kejriwal to maintain the dignity of the office he holds.

"He should maintain 'garima' (dignity) of the chair of Chief Minister and wait till the judicial probe is completed. After all he is a Chief Minister...,(which is) a high post. He should cooperate," Shinde told reporters in Delhi.

Union minister Manish Tewari, who was allegedly heckled and forced to walk for some distance for work due to the protest, said Aam Admi Party has been given a mandate to govern Delhi and not create anarchy.

"AAP was not given a mandate by the people of Delhi to create anarchy. It's high time AAP makes the transition from being agitators to administrators," he said.

Hitting out at Kejriwal for the agitation, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said, "From gimmickry and populism AAP has moved to the next level - Anarchy. Delhi is paying the price for the Congress Party's misjudgment in supporting AAP."

Noting that Delhi deserves a government and not anarchy, he questioned the new outfit's motives saying, "Did the AAP form a government to wreck the system from within? Can the AAP be trusted with making Delhi a global city?"

AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said the bureaucrat -turned-activist-turned politician must realise that no Government can be run by staging dharnas (sit-ins).

"Kejriwal must understand that a Government is run through Assemblies or Parliament and from the streets of any city," he told reporters in Bhopal.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, whose party is extending outside support to the 24-day-old Government formed by the fledgling outfit, asked "Will the police garland him if the honourable Chief Minister of Delhi wants to sit on a dharna without permission, which can disrupt peace?"

AICC secretary Sanjay Nirupam asked Kejriwal to stop indulging in 'drama' and instead concentrate on governance.

Nirupam said that Kejriwal as a chief minister could resolve issues by negotiating with the Centre.

Sharing his views, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, "The situation we have seen today on the streets of Delhi is anarchic. This is a mock-fight between AAP and its ally Congress. Such an agitation-which is taking place near Rajpath where the Republic Day rehearsals are on - affects aam admi (common man) and both parties are responsible for it."

She said the issues being flagged by AAP are important but the manner in which it has gone about is not acceptable.