My crime-I fought for breath of 2 crore people: Delhi CM over report on 'exaggerated' oxygen requirement

Hours after a Supreme Court's audit team report stated that Delhi government had exaggerated its oxygen requirement by four times during peak of the COVID-19 second wave, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his only "crime" was that he "fought for the breath of two crore people."

"My crime was that I fought for the breath of 2 crore people. When you were busy campaigning for election, I was awake all night arranging for oxygen. I fought and pleaded to arrange oxygen for people. People have lost their relatives due to oxygen shortage. Please don't lie, they are feeling bad," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi referring to Bharatiya Janata Party's election rallies in West Bengal during April-May, when COVID-19 cases were at its highest.

An audit team constituted by the Supreme Court had earlier today, submitted its report.

The audit panel, led by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, included Delhi Government Principal Home Secretary Bhupinder Bhalla, Max Healthcare Director Dr Sandeep Buddhiraja and Union Jal Shakti Ministry Joint Secretary Subodh Yadav.

"The Delhi government exaggerated the oxygen requirement for the city by more than four times during the April 25-May 10 period, at the peak of the second COVID wave," the report said, adding that supply of excess oxygen to Delhi could have triggered a crisis in its supply to 12 states with the high caseload.

It said that the data from the Delhi government showed the consumption of oxygen did not exceed 350 MT from April 29 to May 10.

On May 5, the Supreme Court, on the Delhi government's request about oxygen shortage in the national capital, had directed the Central government to maintain a supply of 700 MT of oxygen to the national capital.

( With inputs from ANI )

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