'Why so desperate?': BJP swipes at Kejriwal over Singapore visit request

Delhi BJP leaders including MPs Manoj Tiwari and Parvesh Verma attacked CM Arvind Kejriwal asking him why he was so "desperate" to visit Singapore to participate in a mayors' summit

Delhi BJP leaders including MPs Manoj Tiwari and Parvesh Verma on Monday attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him why he was so "desperate" to visit Singapore to participate in a mayors' summit.

Kejriwal had earlier in the day said that he was an elected Chief Minister not a "criminal", and charged at the central government for keeping his request pending for the visit for "political reasons."

"Why is Delhi Chief Minister who does not have charge of any department in the government so desperate to go to Singapore?" Tiwari took a dig at Kejriwal in a tweet.

The North East Delhi MP also shared an invitation of the summit that showed mayors and other functionaries of cities in various countries.

Kejriwal said he was specially invited to the World Cities Summit in Singapore by the government of the country, where he would present the Delhi Model before world leaders and bring glory to India.

West Delhi BJP MP Parvesh Verma said that the programme in Singapore had nothing for Kejriwal as he does not have any department matching the subject of the event.

"It's a mayors' summit yet Kejriwal is so desperate to go there," he said.

Miffed over the pending clearance from the Centre for the visit, Kejriwal had on Sunday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has been waiting for the permission for over a month.

"I am not a criminal, I am a chief minister and a free citizen of the country. There was no legal basis to stop me from visiting Singapore, so there appears to be a political reason behind this," Kejriwal on Monday said.

High Commissioner of Singapore Simon Wong had in June invited Kejriwal to the World Cities Summit to be held in the first week of August.

The Delhi CM has been asked to attend a programme on the first day of the summit.

The CM said he usually does not go on foreign visits but wanted to go to the Singapore summit as it concerned progress of the country.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta also questioned Kejriwal's desperation to visit Singapore.

Kejriwal who had no time to meet mayors of Delhi when they sat outside his residence demanding from him release of dues of municipal corporations in 2020, should instead visit slums in the city where people are facing water crisis, he said.