Ill-intentioned move by Centre: AAP leader over no clearance for Kejriwal Denmark meet

New Delhi [India], Oct 9 (ANI): AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh accused the Centre of denying permission to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's to visit Denmark where he was scheduled to participate in the C-40 Climate Summit.
"This is unfortunate and beyond my understanding as to why Narendra Modi Ji's government is working with such hostility towards us. He (Kejriwal) was not going on vacation but to hold discussions with the mayors of 100 cities of Asia and present a better picture of our country on efforts to abate pollution," Singh told ANI on Tuesday.
"How many official visits of Chief Ministers have been cancelled till date? We applied a month ago but could not get the clearance," he added.
Singh said that denying permission was a disrespect of the people of the national capital and by doing so the Centre had denied a big opportunity to the Delhi Chief Minister.
"Pollution in Delhi has receded because of the contribution of people of the national capital. Kejriwal was planning to go in order to share this achievement at the forum. This is an ill-intentioned move by the Centre. This is a disrespect of the people and we will take this amidst them in the coming days," Singh said.
Meanwhile, the central government on Wednesday clarified that the permission was denied to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal since the C-40 Climate Summit in Denmark was a mayor-level conference.
Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim is slated to attend the climate meet in Copenhagen from October 9 to 12.
"The West Bengal minister is going (to attend the climate meet in Denmark). This is a mayor-level conference," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters at a cabinet briefing.

However, Singh refuted these claims by stating,"Regarding permssions, we followed the procedure and applied forty days ago. Just one week ago, urban development minister of Kolkata was given permission to attend the same summit but Kejriwal was denied. The logic given by the centre that this was a mayor's conference doesn't hold ground as Sheila Dikshit had attended such conferences in the past when she was the Chief Minister of Delhi. When our Prime Minister goes to a foreign country, he engages with different stakeholders and not only Ministers of other countries."

"We are not living under a dictatorship.This is an affront to our democracy, constitutional values and the people of delhi as central government has deprived them of their efforts being showcased on an international stage. The people of Delhi will reply to BJP in this upcoming elections," he added.

Singh further alleged that previously the Centre had denied permission to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and health minister Satyendra Jain as well. (ANI)