The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday rued the fact that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not invited to an event, in which a metro line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi said not inviting the Delhi Chief Minister to an event of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reflects “cheap mentality” and added that the prime minister should rise above party lines. Atishi said PM Modi to ‘rise above party lines’ and said he is the ‘guardian of states’.Addressing a press conference, Atishi pointed out that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is a 50:50 venture of the Centre and the city government. “This means half the funds are spent by the city government and the other half by the Centre. But it was not considered important to invite the Delhi chief minister to the event. I want to tell the prime minister that he is the guardian of all the state governments. He should rise above party lines,” she said. “Splendid infrastructure of Delhi is the result of the Central and Delhi governments’ collaboration, not inviting the Delhi CM to the metro line inauguration is unjust,” she added.
The AAP leader said not inviting Kejriwal to a DMRC event reflects “cheap mentality” and added that since Delhi is the national capital, the Centre and the city government should work together for its development.She remarked that after the G-20 summit, BJP leaders never tire of asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the world's top leaders. “A person who is among the world's top leaders and leads the government of the world's largest party couldn't even invite Delhi Chief Minister for the inauguration of a mere two-kilometer metro line,” she questioned.
“If we want to develop Delhi, then the central government and the Delhi government must work together. Delhi government is ready to collaborate closely with the central government.
However, it becomes the responsibility of a guardian to involve the Delhi government in decision-making,” Atishi said Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised Modi for not inviting Kejriwal for the inaugural ceremony of Delhi Airport Metro Express line's extention. He recalled how the PM advocated for ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (world is a family) in front of the world leaders during the recently-concluded G20 Leaders' Summit, whereas, he fails to invite Kejriwal to the inauguration event, which he believes is an antithesis to the proposition.
“Just a week before PM Modi in front of the world leaders said 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ meaning the World is a family...And now in your own country, you don't invite a three-time elected Chief Minister to inauguration of Metro,” Bharadwaj said.
AAP National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Sunday hit out at PM Modi for not sending the invitation to Delhi Chief Minister for the inauguration of the extension of airport express line. Ahead of the inauguration, Kakkar took to X, and accused PM Modi of “low-level politics”. Taking a dig at PM Modi, the AAP leader said, “Your low-level politics is not liked by people of Delhi”. “Delhi belongs to its people, Prime Minister, that is why you could never win because your heart is small and low level politics is not liked by the people of Delhi,” she added.