‘Centre needs to work with states, not clash with them’
NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday hit out at the Centre, saying the Union government should work with state governments for the country’s benefit, instead of clashing with them, even as his deputy Manish Sisodia accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being obstructionist.
Their comments came after Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad called the Delhi government’s proposed doorstep ration delivery scheme a ‘scam’.
“Today people want to see leadership at the Centre which, instead of abusing and fighting the state governments all day, takes everyone along. The country will progress when 130 crore people, all the state governments and the Centre work together as Team India. So being rude is not good,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi on Friday.
Later, in a press briefing, Sisodia said, “When it comes to welfare policies, the BJP acts obstructionist. They have become the Bharatiya Jhagra (quarrel) Party. People are fed up of their fights with non-bjp state governments.”
“BJP leaders have no productive discussions, so they only unnecessarily slam senior leaders in states not under their rule. They blamed the Delhi government for the shortage of oxygen. But who messed up the oxygen supply? It was the Bjp-led government at the Centre. They only ensured adequate supply of oxygen after the Supreme Court intervened,” said Sisodia.
“Millions of children kept pleading for the board exams to be cancelled, but BJP leaders kept them confused until the Supreme Court intervened. For vaccines, they were adamant in forcing states to approach manufacturers and continued to criticise Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and other non-bjp ruled states.”
“Whether it comes to oxygen, board examinations, ration, vaccines, there is a common factor in all of these — the central government’s failure. If an IIT graduate chief minister (Kejriwal) thinks that if pizza and electronics can be delivered at doorsteps then why not ration, what is wrong with that?” Sisodia added.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a sharp attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his proposal of door-to-door delivery of ration in the national capital, labelling it a false promise and a scam, urging the Aam Aadmi Party (Aap)-led government to come up with a separate food delivery system for the purpose.
The Union Minister slammed the chief minister, saying: “He is talking about home delivery of ration when he even failed to provide oxygen to the people of Delhi. The Delhi government is under the control of the ration mafia.”
Prasad also asked the chief minister on why the One Nation One Ration Card scheme was not implemented in the national capital.
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, like last year, this time also free ration is being given to the poor till November. ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ is a very important scheme started by the Government of India.
People want to see leadership at the Centre which, instead of abusing and fighting the states all day takes everyone along.
Delhi chief minister