Kejriwal Says PMO Not Clearing His Singapore Visit For World Cities Summit But Delhi CM's Name Missing From Conference's List Of Speakers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been acting miffed for allegedly not being given permission to attend the World Cities Summit to be held in Singapore in the first week of August.

In a tweet on 1 June, Kejriwal thanked the Singapore Government for inviting him to the World Cities Summit. He was handed a letter from the PMO of Singapore by the High Commissioner, Simon Wong, whom he met in an introductory session.

In a letter that CM Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Modi, he charged that he has been waiting for permission for over a month. In a press conference, he insinuated that the delay in granting him permission to visit Singapore for a summit could be due to political reasons.

He added that he had written to PM Modi on 7 June seeking clearance for the summit, but he is yet to receive any response.

As per this news report, the file on Kejriwal’s visit has still not passed from Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena’s desk.

The World Cities Summit provides a platform to address issues concerning challenges of building a liveable and sustainable city, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships.

There are several programmes that the event promises under its umbrella. Among the speakers, it invites mayors/city leaders, industry experts, and ministers to speak in various forums, such as WCS Mayors Forum, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize and the WCS Young Leaders Symposium.

On the summit’s website, among the speakers from India, Hemali Boghawala, Mayor, Surat and Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council to India Prime Minister; Secretary, Government of India have been enlisted. However, the name of CM Arvind Kejriwal is missing from the list of guest speakers.

According to the website, “The annual WCS Mayors Forum is an exclusive, by-invitation-only global platform for mayors and city leaders to discuss pressing urban challenges and share the best practices.”

The sessions include case study presentations by mayors and sharing by senior representatives of international organisations and industry players.

The organisers have invited Mayors of various cities to take part. However, CM Kejriwal’s claim of being extended an invite from the Government of Singapore does not add up, considering he is not a mayor, nor is he an industry expert.