PUBLISHED: 09:08 +10:00, 17 July 2016 |
That awkward handshake that summed up uncomfortable relationship between PM Modi and CM Kejriwal
An awkward handshake on Saturday summed up the uncomfortable relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
In videos from the Inter-State Council meeting held in New Delhi that went viral, the PM is seen spending only a fraction of a second holding the AAP chief’s hand even as he looked relaxed in the presence of other chief ministers, including those from non-BJP states.
Kejriwal has been a bitter critic of the Prime Minister, often blaming him for all the ills plaguing the Delhi government.
From questioning his educational qualifications to sending vitriolic tweets, the CM has not missed an opportunity to target Modi.
The 11th meeting of the Inter- State Council- that looks at disputes between states and between the states and Centre - saw the presence of many formidable opponents of the BJP such as Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Mamata Banerjee from West Bengal.
None of them allowed the friction to come in the way during the informal greetings at the all- important event that came against the backdrop of the Arunachal Pradesh controversy, with the BJP receiving a setback in the Supreme Court which reinstated the state’s ousted Congress government.
Even Congress chief minister Harish Rawat, whose government in Uttarakhand was nearly toppled by the BJP, was seen greeting the Prime Minister with warmth.
In his inaugural address at the conference, the Prime Minister even singled out Congress-ruled Karnataka for reducing the consumption of kerosene and getting 75 per cent of the savings from the Centre.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with others at the eleventh Inter-State Council Meeting in New Delhi
“The government of Karnataka, while moving swiftly on this initiative, has sent its proposal to the Petroleum Ministry. This has been accepted and the grant has been disbursed to the state government,” he said.
Modi also said that the states’ share in central taxes has gone up from 32 to 42 per cent, which meant availability of greater resources to the state.
I am happy to share that the total amount received by states from the Centre during 2015-16 is 21 per cent higher than the amount received in 2014-15. Similarly, panchayats and urban local bodies will receive 2.87 lakh crore rupees during the 14th finance commission, which is substantially higher than last time,” he said.
The Prime Minister also shared with the chief ministers that 102 crore Aadhaar cards have been distributed in the country of 128 crore people.
Among adults, 96 per cent of the people now have Aadhaar cards.
In his concluding remarks too, the Prime Minister said that the near total acceptance of Aadhaar as a tool to promote good governance and transparency will result in savings to the exchequer.
He also discussed security issues and told the chief ministers that happenings across the world cannot be ignored, in light of the deadly terrorist attack in the French city of Nice.
He stressed on the importance of a good CCTV network and maintaining a visible presence of police forces.
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