Ubaidullah Nasir
In so far the matter of political cuningness is concerned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has once again demonstrated that he is the real match to prime minister Narendra Modi. He very cunningly livestreamed his discussion with the prime minister during the meeting of chief ministers with prime minister on deadly Covid situation and supply of oxygen and other necessary medicines and injections to meet the challenge posed by the pandemic. Kejriwal did it deliberately so that the entire nation could know that crisis of oxygen in Delhi is not due to his fault but due to the mismanagement of the central government. it is because of this that the prime minister snubbed him and reminded him of breach of protocol.
Kejriwal told the prime minister that an accute shortage of oxygen in Delhi hospitals could lead to a brig tragedy and requested him to order other states not to obstruct passage of tankers carrying life saving oxygen to Delhi, he also asked the prime minister that to whom he should speak if other states disrupt oxygen supply to Delhi .He also told the prime minster that his phone keep ringing as hospitals reach out to him stating that they have two or three hour oxygen left because trucks meant for Delhi are stopped. I want your guidance he requested the prime minister. But the prime minster was visibly uncomfortable because the talk between him and Mr. Kejrival was being live telecasted and the whole nation was seeing and listening to it. He interrupted Kejriwal to admonish him “what is happening is strictly against our protocol and tradition that some chief minister is live telecasting an in house meeting he told Kejriwal angrily, But the shrewed politician that he is immediately apologised to prime minister saying that if he has said any thing wrong or has been harsh he is sorry for that, he beg his apology and assure that in future we will keep this in mind. But what he wanted he achieved .
People opinion is divided on this episode. Most of the people are of the opinion that there was nothing wrong at the part of Kejriwal as the nation has a right to know what actually is happening to control the pandemic and what actually had gone wrong at the part of central and state governments that so many precious lives are lost that could have been saved with proper and better management of the situation. It must be noted that almost all the deaths have been because of the shortage of oxygen and overflowing of the hospitals. When in September October last year experts have warned that second wave Covid-19 may emerge in the first half half of the new year why central government has not prepared itself to meet the challenge and why state governments too were negligent to rise to the occassion. Government is reponsible for every single death that was due to the shortage of oxygen and other medical facilities. One year’s time is not less to prepare for the fight against a deadly virus. But after first wave was a bit contained there was such a behaviour at the apart of the government as if Corona virus has died its own death. Neither the warning for the first wave was taken seriously nor for the second wave and the result is there for every one to see. Every citizen has a right to ask the central government why 20 lakh metric tonnes of industrial oxygen was allowed to be exported when the warning for second wave of Covid 19 was given by experts, why this gas could not have been converted into medical oxygen to be supplied to hospitals and lives could have been saved. The meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers was to discuss the pandemic issue not any secret security or defence related issues for which top secrecy should have been maintained.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has termed Kejrival’s trick as uncivilised and an attempt to hide his failures by blaming others. He termed it as a gimmick by Kejriwal to get cheap publicity but the fact ramains that Kejriwal has outsmarted prime minster and has achieved what he actually wanted .