AAP chief Kejriwal mocked with 'coughing' during speech in Delhi

Some people Thursday interrupted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by imitating coughing action as he started speaking at an official event here, prompting Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Harsh Vardhan to intervene. The action ridiculing Kejriwal for the bouts of coughing he suffered till 2016, left the AAP leader in an awkward position at the Vigyan Bhawan event as he asked for some silence from the audience. The programme was jointly organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Delhi Jal Board to launch projects to clean the Yamuna River. It was attended by Union Water Resources Minister Gadkari and Environment Minister Vardhan.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Minister of State for Water Resources Satyapal Singh, and BJP MPs from Delhi and workers were also present. Some people started mocking Kejriwal by coughing as he began his speech. As the heckling became louder, Vardhan and Gadkari asked them to stop. "Please keep quiet. This is an official event," Gadkari said. Kejriwal was known to suffer from chronic coughing during the winters and also underwent surgery to address the problem in September 2016.

(With inputs from agencies.)