Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament. This was the first meeting of Kejriwal with the prime minister after taking oath as the Delhi chief minister last month. During the meeting with PM, Kejriwal discussed several issues, including Delhi violence and preparations for Coronavirus. After the meeting, the Delhi CM said that he told PM Modi that the perpetrators of the communal riots should be given the "strictest punishment". Giving further details, Kejriwal said that he also discussed the strategy to jointly work against the Coronavirus.
The meeting between PM Modi and Kejriwal came in the aftermath of Delhi riots over the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA, which claimed over 45 lives, including a policeman and an IB officer and injured more than 200. Earlier on Monday, Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal had met the Prime Minister and briefed him on Delhi riots.
Key takeaways of Arvind Kejriwal-PM Modi meeting
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he discussed the issue of Delhi violence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I told him that whoever is found guilty for Delhi violence should be given strictest punishment," Kejriwal said after coming out of the meeting.
- According to sources, the issue of post violence rehabilitation was also discussed during the meeting between Delhi CM Kejriwal and PM Modi. Several houses were gutted and public property was vandalised by rioters during the violence.
- Kejriwal also praised Delhi Police for taking swift action to control the situation where rumours of fresh violence erupted on Sunday. He said, "Delhi Police acted in a swift manner to control the situation when rumours were spread on Sunday night. Had the police acted with the same efficiency on Monday & Tuesday last week when riots were confined in a district, so many lives could have been saved."
- When Kejriwal was asked by reporters if he discussed the issue of hate speeches by BJP leaders during the clashes over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA, he said: "Hate speech wasn't specifically discussed."
- The violence that started with clashes between the pro and anti-Citizenship protesters in northeast Delhi's Jaffrabad, took an ugly turn and spilled over religious lines with people from Hindu and Muslim communities attacking each other. Hundreds of houses of Muslim families, including one of a BJP leader from the minority community, were burnt.
- The issue of Coronavirus also came up during the meeting and both leaders discussed a strategy to stop the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed over 3,000 lives across the world.
- Union Health Ministry on Monday confirmed a positive case in Delhi and another in Hyderabad. So far, India has confirmed five cases of Coronavirus - three in Kerala one each in Delhi and Telangana. However, the patients of Kerala have recovered and released from the hospital.
- The person who has tested positive in Delhi has travel history from Italy, while the Hyderabad techie who contracted the virus has travel history from Iran.