Shazia Ilmi Shazia Ilmi

Shanti Bhushan, who has been reprimanded by his Aam Aadmi Party colleagues for praising the BJP's choice of Kiran Bedi for Delhi CM, got a supporter in Shazia Ilmi on Thursday. Ilmi, another founding member of the AAP, joined the BJP last week with Bedi.

"It's like a secret society is running AAP and nobody can question it. If you do, you will be called a traitor," Ilmi, who had quit the AAP last year accusing party chief Arvind Kejriwal of cultivating cronyism around him, said.

"He (Bhushan) is the Bhishma Pitamah of AAP. We should be respectful to him. Moreover, this thought isn't his alone," she said, adding, "AAP is becoming a party of corporates. We wanted to change the politics, but we are going for the same goons and replacing good candidates is unfortunate."

"People close to Arvind, yes-men like Manish Sisodia will be retained by the party. Many leaders have been sidelined in AAP. You can call it a dictatorship," Ilmi lashed out at her former party's leadership. "Say anything and Arvind's coterie on Facebook and Twitter will be after you," she said.

Ilmi was responding to AAP's displeasure with veteran leader Shanti Bhushan's preference for Bedi as the chief minister in Delhi. Kejriwal dismissed Bhushan's remarks, saying, "It's a democracy and everybody has a right to express his feelings."

However, his open preference for Bedi in the middle of a bitter campaign sparked a sharp reaction from other AAP leaders. "I can't understand how Shantiji can possibly approve of Kiran Bedi joining a party that he calls communal even today," Yogendra Yadav said.

"He is our senior colleague and like a father figure in the party. It is the duty of such figures to avoid getting into a fight between his children," Yadav added. Prashant Bhushan also distanced himself from his father's remarks. "I differ with my father on this," Prashant said.

"BJP recognised the force of Anna's movement and was forced to bring as CM candidate a crusader against corruption. Kiranji made a huge contribution to India Against Corruption. She would provide a very clean and efficient administration. She is definitely the biggest challenge to Kejriwal," Bhushan had said, adding that Bedi's candidature was the BJP's "masterstroke" and it "could be harmful for Kejriwal".

Kiran Bedi welcomed the remarks from a rival camp. "If he has said so, I can only be thankful to him," she said. "He has been part of that team. Such a statement coming from him only strengthens the thought process of the BJP," party MP Manoj Tiwari, who had called Bedi a thanedaar earlier, said.