As Delhi reels from an outbreak of chikungunya, dengue and other mosquito-borne viral diseases, Health Minister Satyender Jain today returned from Goa, where he had gone to oversee the Aam Aadmi Party's preparations for next year's assembly elections.
Four people have died of chikungunya in the capital this month. At least 10 people have died of dengue and malaria and hospitals are overflowing with patients.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who too is away for throat surgery in Bengaluru, has shrugged off all responsibility as he sought to deflect criticism over Mr Jain's absence by pointing out that Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung is not in the capital either. Mr Jung is in the US.
Mr Kejriwal tweeted:
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Arvind Kejriwal
✔@ArvindKejriwal
CM n min left wid no power now, even to buy a pen. LG n PM enjoy all powers wrt Del. LG abroad.Question them for Del
https://twitter.com/ashu3page/status/775490493346086912 …
6:21 AM - 13 Sep 2016
Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister and the man in charge of Delhi during Mr Kejriwal's 10-day visit to Bengaluru, is also not in town. He is in Finland for an education programme.
Kapil Mishra, one AAP minister who is available in Delhi, blamed the BJP-dominated Municipal Corporation of Delhi or MCD, asking where the "mayor has disappeared".
"The MCD is responsible for fogging to keep mosquitoes away," said Mr Mishra, also stating that Sayender Jain will be back in the capital today and that he has been getting constant updates on the Delhi health situation.
BJP retaliated to AAP's blaming the centre and said the chief minister "cannot run way" from this.
"If you say that you have no role as the Chief Minister of Delhi, how come the Chief Minister and other ministers' offices spent Rs. one crore on snacks and Rs. 526 core on ads, said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Mr Kejriwal too had drawn much criticism last week for choosing to skip a one-day session of the Delhi assembly that he had called to clear urgent business. He went to Punjab instead to supervise election work there.
The opposition BJP had asked in the house why Mr Kejriwal was absent, leading to a spirited defence of the chief minister by today's missing minister Satyender Jain, who had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his foreign tours.
While AAP's ministers defend each other and justify their absence from Delhi for election-related tours, over a 1,000 chikungunya cases, 1,100 dengue cases and 21 cases of malaria have been reported so far.
