Kejriwal’s televised comments during PM meet draw Centre’s ire; CMO ‘regrets’

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal used the Covid-review conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a platform to play “politics”, alleged government sources on Friday, adding that his speech was not meant for solutions but to evade responsibility.

Amid an unprecedented Covid situation in the country, Prime Minister Narendra called a meeting with the chief ministers of states with a high burden of coronavirus cases. As Kejriwal suggested a “national action plan”, he was interrupted by the Prime Minister, who said, “This tradition of ours, this protocol we have, it is against that for a Chief Minister to telecast live an in-house meeting like this. This is not appropriate. We should always maintain decorum.”

Responding to the incident, government sources said, “Kejriwal has descended to a new low. For the first time, the private conversations of the Prime Minister’s meeting with Chief Ministers were televised. His entire speech was not meant for any solution but for playing politics and evading responsibility.”

After the PM’s remarks at the meeting, Kejriwal had responded, “Ok sir, we will follow this in future. I hope all those who died of Covid get peace and their families find strength. I apologise if I have done something wrong, if I have said something harsh or if there was something wrong in my behaviour. (Niti Aayog member V K) Paul sir’s presentation was very good. We will follow the directions given to us accordingly.”

At the virtual meet, Kejriwal also raised the issue surrounding the huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi. “Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here? Please suggest whom should I speak to in the Central Government when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state?” the Delhi CM said. He also spoke about the Indian Railways’ ‘oxygen express’ but Railways sources say that he has not communicated anything about it to them.

Government sources further said that Kejriwal raised the point of airlifting oxygen but was unaware that it was already being done.

“(He) chose to spread lies on vaccine prices despite knowing that the Centre does not keep one vaccine dose with itself and shares with states only,” the sources told ANI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, and officials of the Health Ministry were present at the meeting along with the Chief Ministers of various states.

Later, the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office stated, “Today, the CM address was shared live because there has never been any instruction, written or verbal, from the Central Government that the said interaction could not be shared live. There have been multiple occasions of similar interactions where matters of public importance, which had no confidential information, were shared live. However, if any inconvenience was caused, we highly regret that.”