Shah leads Delhi's charge against Covid-19, Kejriwal in back seat

With Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling an all-party meeting to review the management of COVID-19 situation, politically, it sends out a signal that Shah has taken charge of the situation in the national capital that has come under severe criticism from many quarters.

New Delhi:With Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling an all-party meeting on Monday morning to "review management of COVID-19 situation" in Delhi, the political signalling was unmistakable.

While Shah as the Home Minister stepped in only after the apex court's unambiguous rap, calling the handing of the situation "horrendous, horrific, pathetic", this all-party meeting comes after the one convened by Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

According to sources, the Delhi unit of the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be represented at the meeting. Senior officials of the Delhi and the central governments will also be present.

Politically, it sends out a signal that Shah has taken charge of the situation in the national capital that has come under severe criticism from many quarters.

Interestingly, Monday's meeting comes within 24 hours of the Centre attaching six Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials to the Delhi government to help in Covid-19 management.

The officials attached to the Delhi government are S.C.L. Das, S.S. Yadav, and Awanish Kumar and Monica Priyadarshini from Andaman and Nicobar, and Gaurav Singh Rajawat and Vikram Singh Mallik from Arunachal Pradesh. The Union Home Minister has also instructed immediate transfer of Kumar, Priyadarshini, Rajawat and Mallik.

Politically, it's a signal to suggest that who is in charge to undo the "horrendous, horrific, pathetic" situation that was allowed to happen under the AAP government.

To further muddy it for the AAP, Delhi Congress chief Anil Kumar said, "The question that needs to be asked is why did Arvind Kejriwal not take the initiative like the ones taken by the L-G and the Union Home Minister."

Kumar has sought suggestions from Delhiites that he will present to the MHA on Monday.

Meanwhile, after Sunday's first meeting, the Centre decided to double the number of tests in the city in the next two days. The exercise will soon start at polling stations in containment zones.

"To prevent corona infections in Delhi, testing will be doubled in the next two days. The testing will be increased to three times after six days. Also, after a few days, testing will start at every polling station in the containment zones," Shah tweeted after the meeting.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Kumar Gupta, who will be representing his party at the meeting, "thanked" Shah for stepping in to halt the "deteriorating situation in Delhi".

On Sunday evening, Shah called another meeting of all Mayors of Delhi to formulate a municipal-level strategy.

As the COVID-19 tally crossed 38,000 in the city, going strictly by the optics, the Delhi Chief Minister seems to have taken a back seat while the Union Home Minister has taken it upon himself to salvage the situation.

IANS Report