Good green policies make for good politics, says Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday addressed the climate summit in the Danish capital of Copenhagen through video conferencing with the message, “good environmental policies also make for good politics”.

Kejriwal attended two sessions via video conferencing at the C40 World Mayors Summit. While in the first session he highlighted the measures taken by his government to curb air pollution in Delhi, including the introduction of the odd-even vehicle rationing plan and shutting down thermal power plants, his speech in the second session found a mention of 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg. Referring to Thunberg’s popular “How dare you?” speech at the UN climate change summit last month, Kejriwal said, “Many among us can have differences with Greta Thunberg’s ways and methods but, with time, more people across the globe are joining her in the larger fight against climate change and pollution. When it comes to pollution, we have to understand that people are not ready, they are demanding certain changes now.”

He addressed both sessions in Hindi and said he intends to do so at all international forums hereon. “I am not against speaking English, but when it comes to representing India, I’ll speak in Hindi,” Kejriwal later said in a press statement.

In the first session, Kejriwal began his address by apologising for not being able to make it to the C40 World Mayors Summit. “I wanted to be there, but couldn’t due to unavoidable circumstances. I offer my apologies for the same,” the chief minister said from his Delhi office. Kejriwal was to lead an eight-member delegation at the summit that started on October 9 and will continue till October 12. The chief minister was scheduled to leave on October 8 but was forced to cancel his trip after the Centre did not grant him permission to go.

The Centre on Wednesday had defended its decision, saying it was meant for “mayor-level” participants, and was not commensurate with the status of Delhi chief minister.