In a tongue-in-cheek compliment for Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said to him at a function here that he felt the affection Gadkari has shown him, perhaps he has not shown even towards some in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "There should be no politics over development. Gadkariji has never made us feel that we are in opposition. I don't know about others but I feel that the affection he has shown us perhaps he has not even shown towards some in the BJP," Kejriwal said.
The Delhi CM was speaking at an event held by Union Water Resources Ministry for foundation stone laying ceremony of 11 Yamuna cleaning projects. Besides Kejriwal and Gadkari, Union Ministers Satya Pal Singh and Harsh Vardhan and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia were in attendance.
"Cleaning up Delhi's air and water pollution is a top priority for us. When I visited London, someone told me that they had cancelled their air tickets to Delhi due to pollution. This work is tough but not impossible. I will request CM Kejriwal to execute these projects on a war footing. There will be no politics over the infrastructure projects of Delhi," Gadkari said.
A total of 11 projects have been taken up under Namami Gange to clean Yamuna river in Delhi. Most of the projects are for sewerage infrastructure and are at various stages of implementation. These projects under the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) III are located in three drainage zones namely Kondli, Rithala and Okhla in Delhi.
Kejriwal went on to lavish praise on Gadkari and said that the Delhi government wants to work with other departments like they do with Gadkari's ministry. "The spirit in which we have come together today and the spirit in which are working with Mr.Gadkari, we hope to work with the Central government in the same spirit to develop Delhi and for the welfare of the Delhi's people," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal's compliments and bonhomie with Gadkari come in the backdrop of improving relations between the two leaders. The two have shared a fractious past and Gadkari had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal for making allegations of corruption against him. In March this year, Kejriwal apologised to Gadkari for hurting him by making unverifiable comments.
