AAP to 'carefully consider' President's 'populist anarchy' remark

A day after President Pranab Mukherjee's veiled criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party in his address to the nation, it said it would carefully consider whatever he has said.

"Whatever the President said, we don't want to make comments in this regard as he is the first citizen of this country.  If he has said something about us, we would carefully listen to him and consider it," Ashutosh, a senior AAP leader and journalist-turned politician, told reporters in New Delhi.

Mukherjee had on Saturday made a veiled attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's street protest saying the government is not a "charity shop" and "populist anarchy" cannot be a substitute for governance.

"The Government is not a charity shop. Populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance. False promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power," Mukherjee had said while addressing the nation on the eve of Republic Day.

Minutes after the address, AAP senior leader Yogendra Yadav had said the President's speech was not about AAP. "I have full belief that President must have greater things in his mind. When he talks about anarchy, he looks towards the nation. He must be thinking about what is happening in Gujarat, Punjab and the entire country," Yadav had said.

Meanwhile, slamming Kejriwal for staging a two-day dharna outside Rail Bhavan defying prohibitory orders, BJP president Rajnath Singh said his party welcomed President's remark on the AAP.

Image: Senior AAP leader Ashutosh