War of words between AAP, BJP as death toll rises: Kejriwal politicising dengue crisis, says BJP

New Delhi:  BJP on Friday accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of “politicising” the issue of dengue threat and “misleading” people, alleging that the crisis would not have reached such levels if he had spent money on raising awareness about the deadly fever instead of self-promotion. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said dengue, which has claimed at least 17 lives and affected thousands in the national capital, was a “predictable disaster”, but Kejriwal failed to take preventive measures as he was “busy” in DUSU polls, rock concerts and publicity drive. [caption id=“attachment_2439292” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. AFP[/caption] The saffron party’s attack on the Aam Aadmi Party leader came after he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invertention following a directive by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung warning Delhi government officials not to follow the city government’s “illegal” orders. Kejriwal told Modi that the LG’s direction created confusion in the administration when it was battling dengue, and the issue can be sorted out after the crisis subsides. The Centre and city government should now work closely to deal with the challenge, the worst in the last five years, he said. Patra said Kejriwal had a habit of “picking a fight” and projecting himself as a victim all the time. “The LG’s letter asks officials to follow the Constitution but does it mean that you should not fight against dengue? Why to politicise every issue? He is linking dengue with the LG’s letter which is misleading. Once again, he is trying to become a victim,” Patra told a press conference. Raking up the the allocation of Rs 526 cr by the AAP government for its publicity, the BJP leader said if it had spent some of the money on spreading awareness among the masses and taking other preventable measures, dengue would not have acquired such serious proportions. “Did anybody see any hoarding in which measures to prevent dengue were publicised? It was a predictable disaster as dengue spreads in September. When he should have fought against it, he was busy in DUSU polls, attending rock concerts and visiting Bihar to tell people how good his model of governance is,” Patra said in a swipe. Asked about the alleged failure of the three municipal bodies, which are ruled by BJP, in taking adequate measures, he suggested that the city government was not releasing funds to them, adding that they were yet to be given Rs 30 cr each. He claimed dengue’s impact across the country was less this year due to efforts of the Centre but it had worsened in the national capital due to the lack of efforts by the city government. PTI