Kejriwal pleads with folded hands for oxygen, PM annoyed as video goes public

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chided Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allowing the latter’s speech at a video conference between Modi and Chief Ministers of the worst COVID affected states, get into the public domain.

Modi intervened, after he was alerted by officials that it has gone live on national news channels. “This is against the protocol, that interaction between the Prime Minister and a Chief Minister, goes into the public domain,” Modi said.

Immediately, Kejriwal apologised to the Prime Minister, but by that time the video had gone live on the channels.

In the video, Kejriwal was seen pleading to the Prime Minister (PM), with folded hands, seeking adequate supply of oxygen. He asked the PM to tell him who is to be contacted if there hospitals have very little oxygen left.

“Please let me know, whom should I contact in the Central Government for supply of oxygen, if a hospital calls me up to say that it has oxygen that will last for only half an hour,” he pleaded with the PM on behalf of the people of Delhi. “I request you with folded hands to supply oxygen to Delh,” Kejriwal said.

He also questioned the logic of having different rates for the anti-COVID vaccine for the Centre and the States. Kejriwal said, “There should be one nation, one rate for the vaccine.”

It is not known how Kejriwal’s video went viral, but government officials were quick to state that Kejriwal played politics by letting it go in the public domain and several media channels took this opportunity to criticise Kejriwal.