Please make a phone call to CMs: Arvind Kejriwal to PM Modi over Oxygen crisis in Delhi

In a virtual meeting which went live on television, Kejriwal told the Prime Minister in strong yet carefully chosen words, "There's a huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi. Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here?"

"Please suggest whom should I speak to in Central Govt when an oxygen tanker destined for Delhi is stopped in another state," he added in a meeting, which was called by Modi to interact with the CMs of 10 worst-Covid-affected states or union territories.

Besides making an indirect reference to Haryana, which was accused of sitting on oxygen cylinders, Kejriwal urged Modi to facilitate the airlifting of oxygen from West Bengal and Odisha to resolve the gas crisis in the national capital.

"PM Sir, please, do make a phone call to the Chief Minister of the state where maximum trucks (tankers carrying oxygen) are being stopped so oxygen can reach Delhi," he said, besides calling for a national policy to tackle the second wave of the virus in India.

Though the Prime Minister said the process was underway, Kejriwal countered saying, "The oxygen cylinders are stopped from coming to Delhi, Sir."

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she told the Prime Minister that her state can't afford to transport oxygen cylinders at this hour of crisis.

Immediately after Kejriwal's comment, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went left and right to slam the Delhi Chief Minister accusing the latter of playing politics over the crisis.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, "Arvind Kejriwal is a disaster. He goes to a meeting with the Prime Minister unprepared. He has no idea about things that have already been put in place to ease oxygen supply in the capital, was uninformed on vaccine prices. How will he save Delhi? He is a disgrace as Delhi’s CM."

He added, "Oxygen plants are being set up in villages of Gujarat, while Arvind Kejriwal keeps crying on Twitter! Does Delhi want such a helpless Chief Minister?"

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted, "Stooping this low for petty politics? Makes all arrangements to televise an otherwise close door meeting.. tries to score political brownie points! If only he had spent the same amount of time doing his homework! Last time the same man ..in the same meeting was yawning & laughing."

Revealing the appalling Covid-19 situation in the national capital of India, 25 "sickest patients", who were suffering from the virus, died in Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital in the last 24 hours.

In an SOS at around 8 am, the hospital reportedly said it had oxygen supply for two more hours with 60 more patients at life risk.

Two hours later, oxygen tankers arrived at the hospital.

Though the hospital said it needed oxygen cylinders to be airlifted immediately, its top officers contradicted each other on whether all the deaths were due to the shortage of the gas.

Several states and the Centre were at loggerheads previously over the supply of oxygen, building up to the gruesome scenario in tackling Covid-19 in the country.

Many hospitals in the national capital had even reached out to the Delhi High Court seeking intervention in the oxygen crisis.

In a strong worded response, the Delhi High Court told the central government, which is receiving flak over the handling of the pandemic in 2021, that it should manage oxygen by any means to save lives.

"Beg, borrow or steal," the judges told the Centre.

Delhi on Thursday reported over 26,000 fresh infections besides 306 deaths apparently due to the virus.