Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought help from cricketer-turned-BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Monday, 6 April, to procure personal protective equipments (PPE) for doctors, hospital staff and management who are fronting the fight against coronavirus.
Responding to a tweet from Gambhir, Kejriwal pointed out that money was never an issue for the government.
The Delhi chief minister made the request after Gambhir, an MP from East Delhi, accused the AAP government of having “massive egos” since they didn’t accept an earlier offer for funds made by the former Indian cricketer.
“Gautam ji, thank u for ur offer. The problem is not of money but availability of PPE kits. We wud be grateful if u cud help us get them from somewhere immediately, Del govt will buy them. Thank u,” Kejriwal wrote in the tweet.
Kejriwal’s response came within an hour after Gambhir donated an additional allocation of Rs 50 lakh from his MP funds to the Delhi government in its efforts to contain coronavirus.
In the tweet, Gambhir lashed out at the Delhi government for not accepting his earlier offer.
“CM @ArvindKejriwal & his Deputy say funds are needed. Though their massive egos didn’t allow them to take 50 L from my LAD fund earlier, I pledge 50 L more so that innocents don’t suffer. 1 crore would at least solve urgent need for masks & PPE kits for days Hope they prioritize Delhi,” Gautam Gambhir had tweeted.
This comes after Gambhir had pledged to donate his two-years’ salary to PM-CARES fund last week.
With the coronavirus pandemic surging rapidly in the country, the dearth of protective gears for the medical personnel have been a cause of concern, with more and more doctors testing positive of coronavirus. In fact, the Chief Ministers last week highlighted the increasing demand for protective gears during their video conference with t Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, the national capital has reported more than 500 coronavirus cases, including seven deaths where as India has reported over 4,000 coronavirus cases and 109 deaths.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)