Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today sounded an alarm as he informed Prime Minister Modi that a “big tragedy” is waiting to happen if quick steps are not taken to address the shortage of oxygen in Delhi’s hospitals. For the last few days, he has been talking about the shortage of oxygen in Delhi, even though he is yet to request Indian Railways for using the Oxygen Express service.
Soon after Kejriwal sought the Centre’s intervention in averting the oxygen crisis staring the national capital, netizens reminded him of a promise he had made during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In August 2020, more than six months ago, the official Twitter handle of the Aam Aadmi Party had shared an article from a Hindi newspaper in which Arvind Kejriwal had promised home delivery of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in dire need of the life-saving gas.
एक हफ्ते में टेस्ट होंगे दोगुने, घर पर भी मिलेगी ऑक्सिजन।: माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री @ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/d4iCgvi5wE
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) August 27, 2020
In his Independence Day speech on 15th August, Arvind Kejriwal had said that the Delhi government will start sending oxygen concentrators to homes of Covid-19 patients even if they have recovered. “We also found some patients who, after coming home fully recovered, lost their lives because their oxygen levels dropped even after being corona negative. We are going to send oxygen concentrators to the homes of patients,” the Delhi CM had said. A senior govt official had said that they have enough oxygen concentrators in store, and the concentrators will be provided only to patients prescribed by the doctors.
Netizens slam Arvind Kejriwal for not fulfilling his promises as Delhi hospitals face acute oxygen shortage
Months later, when Delhi and much of the country was in the throes of the second wave of the COVID-19, angry social media users dredged up this tweet to slam the Aam Aadmi Party government and its inability to fulfil its promises. Many pointed out that Arvind Kejriwal’s priorities were only advertisements and publicity, and was not bothered to fulfill the promises he had made.
“Delhi didn’t vote for Advertisement ki Sarkar…! Where are new hospitals? Instead of creating new Mohalla Clinics, you should have used the same funds in improving infra & capabilities of pre-existing primary health centres (Dispensaries) and making drugs available there,” one Twitter user slammed Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.
Delhi didn’t vote for Advertisement ki Sarkar…! Where are new hospitals? Instead creating new Mohalla Clinics, you should have used the same funds in improving infra & capabilities of pre existing primary health centres (Dispensaries) and making drugs available there.
— Hospital Manager (@iWriteHanded) April 23, 2021
Another Twitter user said just like all his other promises, Kejriwal failed in delivering on this as well. His priorities, as the user put it, was always to be on TV.
@ArvindKejriwal Just like all your promises you failed to deliver on this as well. Your priorities were always to be on TV. https://t.co/9sXhlZzWXC
— राहुल (@Bankwalah) April 23, 2021
Yet another user said it has been more than six months since Kejriwal promised to deliver oxygen at home, but not only has he failed in keeping his promise, but he has also been unsuccessful in arranging oxygen for hospitals. “I don’t know why people of Delhi are tolerating this vulture,” a seemingly exasperated social media user tweeted.
On 27th August 2020, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promised he will provide Oxygen at home. Almost 6 months have passed, he is not able to arrange oxygen for hospitals yet.
— stranger (@amarDgreat) April 23, 2021
I don’t know why ppl of Delhi tolerating this vulture.#ShameOnYouKejriwal https://t.co/cK23Nkuivf
One Twitter user was particularly laconic in slamming the Delhi Chief Minister. Quoting the Aam Aadmi Party tweet in which Arvind Kejriwal had promised home delivery of oxygen, the user tweeted: “Shameless CM/biggest fraud.”
Shameless CM / biggest fraud https://t.co/y3o3L1WRBn
— Bajaj Om (@OMBAJAJ1) April 23, 2021
People have directed their fury at Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party after the acute shortage of oxygen faced by COVID-19 patients in Delhi. Even as the lives of COVID-19 patients hung in the balance, hospitals in Delhi-NCR regions facing scarcity of medicinal oxygen had to stop admitting new patients and ask existing ones to leave. As such, Delhi has been among the worst-hit states by the resurgent wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. On Thursday, Delhi reported 26,619 fresh new COVID-19 cases and recorded 306 coronavirus deaths in the span of 24 hours.
