Centre hijacked AAP's plantation event, alleges Gopal Rai; Arvind Kejriwal skips programme

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday alleged that the Centre hijacked an event of the Arvind Kejriwal government at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary with the Delhi Police putting up banners carrying pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the venue last night.He said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was supposed to attend the event but decided not to participate following the incident.Kejriwal had also skipped the weekly meeting with Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Friday, against the backdrop of the LG recommending a CBI probe into alleged lapses and irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy.Rai alleged the Delhi Police acted on the directions of the prime minister's office. The 'Van Mahotsav' which started from the Central Ridge on 11 July was to culminate with the plantation of one lakh saplings at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday."The Delhi Police reached the location of the event last night and took control of the pandal and the stage. They forcibly put up banners carrying pictures of PM Modi... Banners carrying photos of Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister Kejriwal were taken down," Rai alleged at a press conference here.The Delhi Police warned of action if the banners carrying pictures of PM Modi were removed. They threatened the officers involved in the preparation to step back, while the banners belonging to the AAP government were torn down, he claimed.The lieutenant governor and the chief minister were supposed to attend the event and all preparations had been made, he said."An event of the Kejriwal government has been turned into a political event of PM Modi and he was not even going to attend it... Following the incident, the Delhi chief minister and I have now decided not to participate in the programme," he said.Rai said that attempts are being made to malign the Delhi government and alleged that Satyendar Jain was arrested on frivolous charges, and a conspiracy is now being hatched to arrest Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The CM had to go to Singapore but the file was blocked, he said.Saxena had on Thursday written to Kejriwal advising him not to go for the World Cities Summit to be held in Singapore from 31 July, stating that it was a conference of mayors.Rai alleged the incidents that have transpired in the last one and half months could not have happened without the go ahead from the PMO."Who doesn't know your face and name, PM Modi... But sending police to put up your photos in the dark of the night shows you are extremely afraid of the rising popularity of Kejriwal. This is not good for democracy", he said. The minister said the police are supposed to ensure the safety and security of people and not put up banners of Modi."I wonder what message they want to send out to people. This is not the first time we are conducting a tree plantation event."Rai told reporters that the banners carrying pictures of Modi had been put up on an LED screen installed to show educational programmes to children."We do not want to fight anyone. We will continue our plantation drive. So far, we have planted around nine lakh saplings. The target is to plant 35 lakh saplings this year," he said.The minister said more than 2.10 crore saplings have been planted in Delhi since Kejriwal came to power in 2014. He said the plantation drives have played a crucial role in curbing air pollution in the capital, reducing PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations by 25 per cent in the past five years.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.