Arvind Kejriwal's resignation announcement a PR stunt, says BJP; Congress calls it a 'gimmick'

In what comes as the first reaction to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's surprise announcement to step down from the post after two days and seek fresh polls in Delhi, the BJP called the move a “PR stunt.”

Kejriwal, who was released on bail from Tihar on Friday in the excise policy graft case, said on Sunday that he would hold a meeting of AAP MLAs in the next few days and a party leader would take over as chief minister.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said Kejriwal understood that his image among the people of Delhi is not of an honest leader but of a corrupt leader.

"Under his PR stunt, he wants to restore his image. It is clear that he wants to apply the Sonia Gandhi model," he said and added that Kejriwal wants to run the government from behind the scenes.

Calling AAP a corrupt party, he said, "They have understood today that the Aam Aadmi Party is losing the Delhi elections and the people of Delhi cannot vote in their name, so they want to make someone else a scapegoat."

Dubbing it a "drama" BJP leader Harish Khurana sought to know why Kejriwal is not reigning right now.

Meanwhile, the Congress called the announcement "a gimmick.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said there is no question of Kejriwal becoming the chief minister again, and added that his party has been demanding the Delhi CM's resignation for a long time.

"This is a mere gimmick. This happened for the first time when an elected leader came out of jail on bail, and was asked by the Supreme Court not to go to the CMO or sign any papers," he said.