BJP Stages Dharna To Seek CM Kejriwal's Resignation Over Delhi Oxygen Row

Amid the oxygen row between the Centre and Delhi government, BJP leaders in Delhi carried out demonstrations and sat on a dharna at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Monday. The protesting leaders demanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation following allegations of the government "inflating" the city's oxygen requirements amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sit-in protest saw participation from several BJP MPs, MLAs and office-bearers including the Delhi unit President Adesh Gupta. The latter stated the AAP chief be arrested for "criminal negligence" for inflating numbers at a time when other states were struggling to meet oxygen requirements at the peak of the second wave.

"The interim report of a Supreme Court committee has said that the Kejriwal government raised a four-time higher demand of oxygen than actual consumption that caused shortage in other states and led to deaths of Covid patients. Kejriwal himself is responsible for this and should step down from his post," Gupta said.

Other leaders such as New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi alleged that Chief Minister Kejriwal raised a "false" oxygen shortage issue to "hide the failures" of his government in tackling the second wave of the virus.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has charged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "cooking up" the report and trying to blame the Delhi government on the basis of it.

(With inputs from PTI)