Delhi DyCM questions PM's COVID meet being telecast; raises Kejriwal having to apologise

Weeks after Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal drew flak for televising a portion of his meeting with PM Modi, the national capital's DyCM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday asked whether the protocol was not similarly breached after PM Modi's meeting with district officials on Tuesday was broadcast live on television. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had released a portion of his April 23 meeting with PM Modi where he is heard speaking about the shortage of medical oxygen and vaccines in the national capital. Kejriwal's move to televise his meeting with PM Modi was objected to by the Centre - including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who had mentioned it during a suo motu hearing of Delhi govt's COVID management at the Supreme Court. 

Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia asks if protocol wasn't breached

Taking to Twitter, Delhi DyCM Manish Sisodia questioned how PM Modi's meeting with the district officials was allowed to be broadcast. Further, he asked how to differentiate between a meeting that can be telecasted live and those that weren't supposed to and wondered if the protocol allowed Tuesday's meeting to be telecast. 

'In today's meeting, the Prime Minister's statement aired live on TV. CM in last meeting @ArvindKejriwal objected to the live broadcast that the protocol was broken. Today's protocol allowed for live broadcast? How to know which meeting broadcast live, not which one?' Sisodia asks.

Delhi CM telecasts meeting with PM Modi; earns flak

Earlier in April, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had released a video of him interacting with PM Modi, who was chairing a crucial meeting with all the Chief Ministers to assess the current COVID-19 situation across the country. As per government sources, PM Modi had expressed discomfort and was upset with Kejriwal for releasing the video. Stating that the Delhi CM had raised the point of airlifting oxygen without knowing what was being done, the government sources had said, "He spoke about Oxygen express by Railways but Railway sources say that he has not communicated anything about it to Railways." Government sources had also revealed that Kejriwal had apologised for his move and had assured that such a thing would not be repeated in the future. 

PM Modi chairs COVID meet with District officials

In an interaction with district officials from across India on Tuesday, PM Modi appreciated their role in the fight against COVID-19 amid the second wave. Encouraging them to adopt innovation at the micro-level, the PM urged them to send their ideas to the Union government for possible replication in other parts of the country. On this occasion, he stressed the contribution of villages in ensuring that the COVID-19 spread is limited. For instance, he highlighted that farmers meticulously followed social distancing norms while working in the fields. 

PM Modi remarked, "I praise your efforts. Every district has its own challenges. You understand the challenges of your district very well. If your district wins, the country wins. If your district defeats COVID-19, the country defeats COVID-19." 

"You have an important role in the fight against COVID-19. In a way, you are the field commander of this war. Just in the case of a war, a field commander implements the big policy, fights on the ground and takes decisions as per the situation," he added.