India blasts New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for false ‘Singapore variant’ claim
- PM Narendra Modi’s government has distanced itself from Kejriwal’s false assertion that a new coronavirus strain had been found in the city state
- Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar says the chief minister made ‘irresponsible comments’ and did not speak on behalf of the country
In a Tuesday tweet, Kejriwal had urged India’s central government to “stop all flights” as the “new Covid-19 strain found in Singapore is being said to be very dangerous for children”.
However, the strain prevalent in many of the cases recorded in the republic in recent weeks is in fact the double mutant B.1.617.2 variant, which was first found in India.
Singapore’s health ministry underscored this point in a statement late on Tuesday, and said media reports that carried Kejriwal’s remarks contained “no truth whatsoever”.
Both foreign ministries on Wednesday afternoon said Indian envoy Periasamy had told Singaporean officials that Kejriwal was not authorised to speak on Covid-19 variants or civil aviation policy.
Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar also took to Twitter to say New Delhi appreciated Singapore’s role as a logistics hub and oxygen supplier as the South Asian nation battles a debilitating second wave of Covid-19.