Kejriwal holds video meet with Delhi MPs, says Covid-19 fight headed for success

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with five of the seven Members of Parliament from Delhi on Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the national

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with five of the seven Members of Parliament from Delhi on Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the national capital.

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Kejriwal acknowledged the role of all parties in the fight against Covid-19 and said, “The Delhi model of fighting the coronavirus pandemic has been possible due to the collective efforts and support from all political parties, MPs and MLAs.” Kejriwal met with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs through video conferencing.

The CM further said the fight against Covid-19 in Delhi is headed for success because “all parties and their members rose above political affiliations and worked collectively to combat the virus”.

“The Covid-19 is so huge a pandemic that no one can fight it alone. The foundation of the Delhi model is collectivity and teamwork,” he said.

The video conference was attended by BJP MPs Ramesh Bidhuri, Meenakshi Lekhi, Manoj Tiwari, Gautam Gambhir and Hans Raj Hans and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and SK Gupta.

BJP MPs raised the demand of waiving the fixed charges in electricity bills of commercial establishments and also sought at least ₹1 crore per parliamentary constituency for development work, especially for repair of roads after the monsoon, as the MP fund is being used by the Centre for managing Covid-19.

South Delhi MP Bidhuri said, “We told the CM that there should be a proper check on the ration distribution as the Centre has decided that it should be given free of cost. The business community is facing a financial crisis. The government should waive the fixed electricity charges for commercial establishments. The municipal corporations don’t have funds. We have asked the government to give ₹1 crore per parliamentary constituency for repair work of roads after the monsoon.”

East Delhi MP and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir tweeted, “Raised critical issues in VC with CM @ArvindKejriwal : 1) Inflated bills without taking meter readings 2) Waiver of electric charges for MSMEs 3) Any plan to bring back labour force 4) Encourage plasma donation by call & not ads 5) Approval for Kanti Nagar Isolation Centre.”

The CM has been holding regular meetings with all elected representatives. “All the MPs unanimously said they are with the Delhi government and will take all possible steps to save the people of Delhi from this pandemic,” a statement issued by the chief minister said.