Politics at centrestage after Kejriwal kicks up row on oxygen at PM-CM Covid meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Covid-19 strategy meeting with Chief Ministers of states with highest number of coronavirus cases began on a discordant note with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal going public with his remarks in meeting in which he flagged the acute oxygen crisis in Delhi hospitals asked whether the two crore people of Delhi will not get oxygen because the capital has no oxygen plant.

He also asked whether the 130 crore people of the nation do not have right to the nation's resources equally.

Hitting back, the BJP called Kejriwal a "disgrace as Delhi CM" and asked "can he stoop so low"?

Read | Escort oxygen cylinders with Army vehicles: Kejriwal at PM-CM meet

In his intervention in the closed-door meeting, which was later televised soon after the meet was over, Kejriwal said that people are in major pain due to oxygen shortage and he requests with folded hands that the Prime Minister gives direction to Chief Ministers to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi.

As soon PM Modi realised what the Delhi CM was saying in the meeting was going to be telecast, he said, "What is happening is totally against our custom, our protocol. Any Chief Minister doing live telecast of such an inhouse meeting is no proper. We should always maintain this decorum."

Kejriwal, on his part, quickly said that he will take care of this in future

The chief minister's office (CMO) later issued a brief statement, saying "Today, the CM address was shared live because there has never been any instruction, written or verbal, from central govt 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."

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra came down heavily on Kejriwal asking on Twitter " Stooping this low for petty politics?"

"Makes all arrangements to televise an otherwise close door meeting..tries to score political brownie points! If only he had spent the same amount of time doing his homework! Last time the same man ..in the same meeting was yawning & laughing," Patra further said.

BJP IT department chief and co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya also slammed Kejriwal.

"Arvind Kejriwal is a disaster. He goes to a meeting with the Prime Minister unprepared. He has no idea about things that have already been put in place to ease oxygen supply in the capital, was uninformed on vaccine prices. How will he save Delhi? He is a disgrace as Delhi’s CM," Malviya tweeted.

A source in the government said, "Kejriwal's entire speech was not meant for any solution but for playing politics and evading responsibility. All chief ministers spoke about what they are doing to improve the situation but he had nothing to say on what he is doing."

"He (Kejriwal) raised the point of airlifting oxygen, but did not know that it is already being done. He spoke about oxygen express by the railways but railway officials say that he has not communicated anything about it to the ministry," the source added.

Earlier alleging that BJP-ruled states Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are blocking the oxygen supply to Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had on Thursday gone to the extent of saying that Centre should deploy even paramilitary forces if required to ensure oxygen supply to Delhi.

In the PM meeting, Kejriwal demanded Centre should take over all oxygen plants through Army and every truck should be accompanied by Army escort vehicles.

Also read | Cylinders arrive after Delhi hospital's '25 patients died, 2 hours of oxygen left' SOS

"We fear some massive tragedy may happen due to lack of oxygen for patients. Despite being the Chief Minister of Delhi, I find myself helpless in such a scenario. If any big mishap happens, I will not be able to forgive myself, " Kejriwal said, batting for a national plan to deal with the situation.

He also demanded that the state governments should get Covid-19 vaccines at similar rates on which the central government is procuring them.

During the meeting, Kejriwal said that the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and requested Modi to direct chief ministers of all states to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to the national capital.

"Every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an Army escort vehicle. The oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha and West Bengal should either be airlifted or brought through the Oxygen express started by the Centre," he said

Another Opposition Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee also got into a row with the BJP over the all-important Covid strategy meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi with CMs of states with the highest Covid caseloads.

Banerjee, addressing a press conference in Durgapur in West Bengal alleged that she had not been invited to the prime minister's meeting. "Had I been invited, I would have definitely attended. But I have heard that the ten states with the maximum number of Covid cases have been called for the meeting.

The BJP hit back, raising questions on the commitment of Banerjee to the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

"Everyone knows Mamata Banerjee’ poor commitment to manage Covid pandemic in Bengal. She hasn’t attended a single PM-CM meeting called in the recent past to work a common plan citing her campaign schedule. Even though she has failed WB, today’s meeting was only for high burden States," BJP IT department head and co-incharge for West Bengal polls Amit Malviya said.

Like Kejriwal, who raised the issue of obstruction in oxygen supply to Delhi, Banerjee, too, alleged that Bengal's oxygen supply was diverted to BJP ruled state UP and asked "where will get oxygen from" arguing that the supply chain is being maintained in BJP-ruled states.

Latching on to Banerjee's remark that the oxygen produced for Bengal should be kept for Bengal, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra suggested a wage between Banerjee and Kejriwal and tweeted "So sister Mamata has said no to brother Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia (Delhi Dy CM) is only attacking Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (both BJP ruled)."

The chief minister also objected to different rates being charged from state governments and the Centre for the Covid-19 vaccine, and said "one nation, one rate" policy should be followed.