Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday, said that he does not blame anyone for not getting permission to visit Singapore to attend the summit, his comment came after his weekly meeting with the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena.
The CM Arvind Kejriwal after his visit with the Lt Governor, said, “No problem. He didn’t do it right. May they be happy too, we are also happy. This thing is spreading all over the world. All the dignitaries came, the former Secretary General of the UN came, the former Prime Ministers of Sweden and Norway came, and Millennia Trump came. The word is spreading. It would have been better if I could go and put my point in front of the world, he could keep the good work that is being done. But if it doesn’t happen then it doesn’t matter, I am not blaming anyone for it”. Earlier, commenting on the request for approval of Delhi CM Kejriwal’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that information regarding this can be sought from the Delhi government as the Singapore government has shared an update with them. This development came after Lt Governor VK Saxena returned the proposal regarding the Delhi CM’s Singapore visit.
Bagchi said that the online portal for political clearance on our website has received an entry in their portal regarding the Delhi CM’s visit to Singapore to attend the ‘Eighth World Cities Summit and WCS Mayors Forum’.
Bagchi further said that the decision will be taken following due process.
Sources said that the LG has underlined the fact that the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) does not have exclusive domain over the issues corresponding with the theme of the conference and hence it will be inappropriate for a Chief Minister to be attending the same.
The LG’s office believes in the context of the WCS Smart City Workshop that is being organized as a part of the conference, it has been pointed out that the Smart City Project in Delhi is being anchored by the NDMC. Apart from the above facts, a Chief Minister attending such a conference will also set a bad precedent, said sources.
Earlier on Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought permission to attend the World Cities Summit in Singapore. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government and the Centre locked horns over Kejriwal’s proposed visit to Singapore to attend the global conference in Singapore.