New Delhi, Nov. 23: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today set to clear the air on the hug with Lalu Prasad, saying it was the RJD chief who "pulled and hugged me".

The image of Lalu embracing Kejriwal during Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony at Patna's Gandhi Maidan had gone viral on social media with critics making fun of the AAP leader's tall claims about fighting corruption.

Kejriwal sought to deny any tie with Lalu, debarred from contesting polls because of his conviction in a fodder scam case. "Lalu was on stage during Nitish's swearing-in. He shook my hand, then pulled and hugged me. Then he held my hand and raised it. This went out and questions were asked," Kejriwal said at the national council meeting of his party today. "The AAP has not formed any alliance with Lalu. We are against his corruption and will continue to oppose him," he said.

PTI also quoted him as saying he was against dynasty politics and the fact that Lalu's "two sons are ministers."

Kejriwal had something good to say about Nitish. He said he attended the swearing-in, as AAP had backed Nitish for the good work in Bihar. "Nitish ji is a good leader and has done good work," he said.

He also hailed those who raised questions on the embrace. "I am happy... Questions were asked because people feel we are different. Nobody asks questions when other leaders embrace Lalu ji," he said.

Kejriwal said his party was not in the race for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "We are not in any race. Delhi's win was stupendous and we just have to work honestly," he said. But he said there were indications AAP has a chance in Punjab in 2017.

There were protests outside the AAP national council meeting, with many party members alleging they were not invited.