Kiran Bedi at the parade, on the occasion of 66th Republic Day of India. Kiran Bedi at the parade, on the occasion of 66th Republic Day of India.

The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, Kiran Bedi, sitting in the front row at the Republic Day celebrations, kicked up a political storm Monday with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party claiming BJP was politicising the parade and using it as a means to highlight Bedi ahead of the polls.

Bedi did not help matters herself, as after the function she reportedly asked Kejriwal to “grow up” and said he was “playing sob-sob”.

“If he (Arvind Kejriwal) is hurt for not being invited, he should join the BJP,” a TV channel quoted Bedi as saying. “I think he (Kejriwal) is playing sob sob. I think he must grow up… (Invitations) are never demanded, they come by rules and regulations, by protocols,” she said.

The comments went viral on the Internet as Twitter handles managed by media commentators as well as those by rival political parties started berating Bedi and the Centre. Sources close to Bedi said that the comment was made in a non-serious manner.

Bedi’s comments even found their way into AAP rallies in Delhi. Lashing out against Bedi at a public meeting in Mustafabad in Northeast Delhi, AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh said he was “disappointed” at the “opportunistic approach” taken by Bedi.

What further fuelled the controversy more was that both former Delhi CMs, Congress’s Sheila Dikshit and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, claimed they were not invited. Sheila Dikshit confirmed that she had not received any invite for the event. “It’s a common courtesy that is extended despite political differences,” she said.

Leaping at what was an obvious political score on social media, AAP supporters started tweeting that the Modi government discourteous towards a former CM, Kejriwal.

In response, the BJP Twitter brigade started circulating “reports” from last year claiming Kejriwal as CM had not saluted the national flag during last R-Day parade of Delhi state at Chhatrasal stadium.

Kejriwal had on Saturday told the media that he was upset at not being invited. “While Kiran Bedi has been invited, and being given a seat on the front row, Arvind Kejriwal has not even been invited for Republic Day. It is a shame that even a day like this has been politicised,” senior party leader Ashutosh said.

The Defence Ministry, which sends out the invites and devises the seating arrangement, refused to give details.

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