New Delhi: Delhi’s Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over tea on Thursday and raised the contentious statehood issue. Mr Kejriwal also invited the PM to attend his swearing-in at the Ramlila Maidan on Saturday, but the PM expressed his inability to do so as he would be out of town.
Mr Kejriwal later submitted the list of his council of ministers to lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung. He will head a seven-member Cabinet that will include his close aide, Manish Sisodia, who will be deputy chief minister, and four new faces, party sources said.
Getting full statehood for Delhi could, however, lead to a major hurdle for Mr Kejriwal as the Centre seemed in no mood to hand over the police to the Delhi government.
“Arvind told the PM that both the Centre and the state government enjoy a strong majority, therefore it is a golden opportunity for both to work together to make Delhi a better city. It was like a “chai pe charcha” between the representative of Delhi and of the nation. Mr Modi met us not as a representative of a political party but as Prime Minister of the country. His gesture was “welcoming”.
Making Headway
- Arvind Kejriwal discussed full statehood for Delhi with the PM
- Kejriwal reached out to the BJP, AAP’s chief rival, during the elections seeking cooperation for a “better Delhi”
- Prime Minister Modi expressed his inability to attend the swearing-in ceremony
