Smog screen: 3 states, 3 parties and a thickening political plot
CHANDIGARH: The smog screen over national capital maybe th inning but the political plot is thickening. The fact that the three neighbouring states --- Delhi, Haryana and Punjab---are ruled by three different parties has not helped matters.
After tweets flying back and forth between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwa land his Ha ryan a counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday over their respective teams trying to “reach out” to the other for a meeting at Delhi, the AAP leader tweeted that he will be coming down to meet Khattar in Chandigarh on Wednesday. The Delhi CM will be meeting K hat tar at 11.40 am at the Haryana civil secretariat.
On Tu es day, Kejriw al tweeted to Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh too to spare sometime. “Sir, I am coming to Chandigarh on Wed to meet Haryana CM. Would be grateful if u cud spare sometime to meet me. It is in collective interest.” Amarinder responded through a press statement by asking Kejriwal not to “politice a serious issue”.
Amarinder, who had turned down Kejriwal’s offer for a meet-
KEJRI IN CHANDIGARH TO MEET KHATTAR TODAY, ASKS CAPT TOO TO SPARE SOME TIME; PUNJAB CM SNUBS HIM AGAIN, SAYS DON’T POLITICISE ISSUE
ing last Wednesday, once again snubbed the Delhi CM saying he failed to understand why the AAP leader was trying to force his hand, knowing well that any such discussion would be “meaningless and futile”.
“Kejriwal’s tendency to indulge in petty street politics was well-known. The AA P leader was evidently trying to divert public attention from his own government’s failure in Delhi to check the problem of pollution,” Amarinder said.
Claiming that the problems faced by Delhi and Punjab were completely divergent, with no meeting ground .“Unlike Punjab, the Delhi problem was the r esult mainly of urban pollution caused by mis managed transportation and unplanned industrial development. Instead of focusing all his attention on resolving these issues, Kejriwal wanted to waste time holding useless discussions ,” he said, adding that he did not have the same luxury of time.
The Punjab chief minister said stubble burning is not a political issue as Kejriwal was trying to project it as but was an economic problem crying for economic solutions, which the central government alone is in a position to provide.