Barely two weeks ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party faced quite a controversy when its senior leader Shanti Bhushan on Thursday praised BJP's chief ministerial candidate and former aide Kiran Bedi as a good administrator capable of providing Delhi a clean administration.

Barely two weeks ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party is facing quite a controversy after its senior leader Shanti Bhushan on Thursday praised the BJP's chief ministerial candidate and former aide Kiran Bedi as a good administrator capable of providing Delhi a clean administration.

Not just that, in an exclusive interview to Headlines Today Bhushan said, "Kejriwal has gone astray. Kiran Bedi for me remains the best choice for Delhi CM. Arvind only wants winnability. He must step down as AAP convener because the idea of AAP is bigger than Kejriwal

Leaving his own party red faced, Bhushan had earlier told ANI, "It is a master stroke by BJP to bring Kiran Bediji and declare her party's CM candidate... BJP recognised force of Anna’s andolan and were forced to bring as CM candidate, a crusader (Kiran Bedi) against corruption. Kiranji made a huge contribution to 'India against corruption', she will provide a very clean and efficient administration."

Bhushan went a step ahead and suggested that the AAP should be happy if Bedi becomes CM, saying "the party was born out of a crusade against corruption, so if a member (read Kiran Bedi) of the same crusade becomes chief minister, they should all be happy."

He also expressed concern at the way the party was being run, saying a reorientation within the party was very much needed and that the party's stress must be on reforming the political system and improving political standards.

"I think everything is not right in AAP, the party is not being run on lines it was expected to run or what it was established for."

This, however, is not the first time that Shanti Bhushan has made remarks unfavourable to the Aam Aadmi Party. In August 2013, Bhushan had said Kejriwal lacked organisational skills and the party was suffering as a consequence.

"Arvind (Kejriwal) is a great leader and a great campaigner, but in my opinion he lacks organisational ability. He does not have the kind of competence which can spread the message of the party all over India, which can quickly create elected structures of the party which nobody will be able to blame," Bhushan had said.

"Therefore this delay of two years in getting the elected structures in place is a great handicap. This is resulting in different voices."

His son Prashant Bhushan, however, quickly defended the party saying: "What Shanti Bhushan has expressed are his personal views, this matter should have been discussed in the party."

With several senior leaders quitting the party over the last year and a half, there is little doubt that there exists disarray within the structure of the party and Kejriwal would do well to address these concerns.

With PTI inputs