Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, skipped a planned tree-planting event on Sunday where Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was present. The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the Prime Minister’s Office of attempting to “hijack” the event by hastily putting up a poster with PM Narendra Modi’s image at the location.
The ceremony was organized by the Environment and Forest Department of the Delhi government to plant one million trees at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. The L-G, the Chief Minister, and Environment Minister Gopal Rai were scheduled to attend, according to the program.
According to Rai, the banner that was chosen for the event featured pictures of Saxena and Kejriwal and was going to be shown on an LED screen there. He asserted that on Saturday night, the PMO dispatched Delhi Police officers to “hijack” the platform and cover the LED screen with a banner bearing pictures of the PM, the L-G, and the CM.
“The CM and L-G were compelled to attend the event together, but it is really regrettable that in this government program, police were sent and were made to take over the pandal and stage at the location, at the insistence of the PMO. A banner bearing Modi’s picture was displayed on the stage. People were warned that they would face consequences if it were removed. The banner would flash on an LED screen in accordance with the program, and then kid-friendly awareness videos would start playing. However, a banner was positioned over the LED to hide it. This is incomprehensible, said Rai.
Suman Nalwa, the DCP PRO, and Benita Mary Jaiker, the DCP (South), declined to respond to Rai’s accusations. The cops were requested to go to the location to “assist” with security preparations and put up posters for “Modiji’s event,” according to sources in the force.
Questions regarding the last-minute change to the posters, who authorized it, and whether they informed the Delhi government about the change went unanswered by the L-G office. According to sources in the office, the Delhi government sent drawings for the banner on Wednesday that solely featured the CM and L-images. G’s They stated that they sent a fresh design (with the PM’s photo) in response to the government on Thursday.
Despite stating that the PM’s picture was not included in the final design, a Delhi government official acknowledged that the banner design was finalized on Thursday.
Regarding claims of politicization, sources in the L-office G’s stated that all decisions pertaining to the program had to be made jointly. “Despite the fact that they made sure their local MLA was present during the last joint visit by L-G and the CM to Bhatti Mines, they (the Delhi administration) did not purposefully invite even the area MP. However, they were particularly instructed not to invite MPs or MLAs and avoid giving the visit a political flavor, according to a source.
Additionally, officials said that none of the CM’s posters had been taken down. Nothing was ripped. Even now, everyone may see standees and billboards with images of the CM, according to an official.
The event on Sunday occurred just after the L-G suggested that the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22 be investigated by the CBI, placing Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who oversees the excise department, squarely in the crosshairs.
This is one of several escalations that have occurred since Saxena assumed leadership two months ago between the Delhi administration and the L-G office. The CM missed the meeting with Saxena that was set for Friday.
