Kejriwal meets Modi; but why the smiles were missing?

With Bihar elections in sight and AAP supporting Nitish-Lalu alliance, there is distrust between the Centre and the state.

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The party leaders said that the 25-minute meeting saw Kejriwal do the talking while the PM Narendra Modi listened.

Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked for a meeting with the Prime Minister since June. On Tuesday, the meeting finally took place.

This time, the mood was vastly different from previous meetings between the central and state leadership. Emerging out of earlier interactions with Union ministers, the CM and deputy CM Manish Sisodia would describe the meetings as positive where they sought the Centre’s cooperation and ministers like Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, transport minister Nitin Gadkari or Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, always assured them of their cooperation.

This time, when both the CM and the deputy emerged from the meeting, the smiles were missing. They described what they had told the PM, but there was no mention of what the PM replied. So it seems they went to the PM with complaints and came back with no assurances.

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The party leaders said that the 25-minute meeting saw Kejriwal do the talking while the PM listened. “He told them that he was there to listen to them and kept nodding his head throughout without saying anything,” claims the senior AAP leader.

With Bihar elections in sight and AAP supporting Nitish-Lalu alliance, there is distrust between the Centre and the state. The CM’s open attacks on the PM have also soured relations. If AAP is to be believed, then, Tuesday’s meeting lacked warmth.

The ongoing tussle between Delhi and the Centre has made it difficult for the two governments to work in tandem. Delhi’s habit of flouting the rules on various issues in the name of a thumping majority has not gone down well with the PM, sources said.