External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday said the Delhi Chief Minister does not speak for India, while lauding India’s relationship with Singapore. The clarification was made in response to the strong objections conveyed by the Singapore government on Arvind Kejriwal’s tweet on new Covid strain.
MEA spokesperson said that the Singapore government had summoned the High Commissioner to convey strong objections to Delhi CM’s tweet in Singapore variant. To which the envoy had clarified that Kejriwal had no competence to pronounce on Covid variants or civil aviation policy, the spokesperson tweeted.
After which, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also clarified via a tweet that the Delhi CM does not speak for India, and said that such irresponsible comments can damage long-standing partnerships.
Singapore and India have been solid partners in the fight against Covid-19. Appreciate Singapore’s role as a logistics hub and oxygen supplier. Their gesture of deploying military aircraft to help us speaks of our exceptional relationship. However, irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships. So, let me clarify – Delhi CM does not speak for India, the Foreign Minister tweeted.
Earlier, CM Kejriwal on Twitter appealed to the Centre to immediately cancel all flights to and from Singapore, stating that a new strain of the virus, found in the country, is said to be very dangerous for children.
Responding to Kejriwal’s tweet, Singapore High Commissioner in India said, There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new Covid strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the Covid cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore, he said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the highly contagious B.1.617 variant was first detected in India and has now been found in several nations. It is believed that this new strain is driving the second wave in the country that has brought the healthcare system to its knees.