Money not problem, but availability of protective gear is: Kejriwal on Gambhir's offer

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said money is not a problem but the availability of protective equipment for healthcare personnel is, after BJP parliamentarian Gautam Gambhir accused the Delhi government of not accepting Rs 50lakh from his MPLADS fund.

In a tweet, Gambhir, an East Delhi MP, said the "massive egos" of Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia did not allow them to take Rs 50 lakh from his Local Area Development fund.

"CM @ArvindKejriwal & his Dy say funds are needed. Though their massive egos didn't allow them to take50 L from my LAD fund earlier, I pledge 50 L more so that innocents don't suffer! 1 CR would at least solve urgent need for masks &PPE kits for days Hope they prioritize Delhi," Gambhir tweeted.

Responding to it, Kejriwal said, "Gautam ji,thank u for ur offer. The problem is not of money but availability ofPPE kits. We wud be grateful if u cud help us get them from somewhere immediately, Del govt will buy them. Thank u." In his letter to the chief minister, Gambhir said it is stated by Sisodia that funds are needed to meet the growing demand of medical equipment in Delhi government hospitals.

"In addition to Rs 50 lakh which I had pledged two weeks ago, I would further like to pledge Rs50 lakh from my MPLAD to your kind office with the hope that the said amount would be used in procurement of equipment of medical staff as well as treatment of COVID-19 patients," the BJP parliamentarian said in the letter. Earlier Gambhir had accused the AAP government of "shedding crocodile tears" and playing victim card on the issue, saying he had offered Rs 50 lakh for PPE kits and masks to it but did not receive any feedback.

Kejriwal on Saturday said his government has asked for PPE kits from the Centre but none were received. Sisodia had demanded a disaster fund from the Centre to fight coronavirus outbreak in Delhi, saying it wasthe third most-affected state in the country. In a letter toUnion Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said the Centre released over Rs 17,000 crore to states from the disaster fund butnot a single rupee was given to Delhi.

"I have demanded disaster fund for Delhi also in a letter to the Central government.The Centre released Rs 17,000 crore to the states to fight corona from the disaster fund but Delhi was not given a single rupee from it. The country should fight as one at this hour. This discrimination is unfortunate," Sisodia said in a tweet. Coronavirus cases in Delhi have crossed 500 and seven deaths have been reported due to the virus.

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