Instead of 'helping' Haryana, focus on Delhi's pollution problem, Khattar tells Kejriwal

Chandigarh: A day after Arvind Kejriwal offered 'help' to implement the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra’ scheme, Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar on Monday asked his Delhi counterpart to focus on protecting people from the worsening air quality in the national capital.

Khattar asserted that Haryana is fully capable of implementing welfare schemes and said that the state would be 'happy to help' Kejriwal if he faces any problems in governing Delhi.

Days after the BJP-led government in Haryana launched the 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra' scheme for the elderly, Kejriwal on Sunday said the BJP is trying to work for the people by learning from his government.

In a post on X, Kejriwal also extended help to Khattar in implementing the scheme.

The Haryana chief minister, in a post in Hindi, said on X, "Our dashing Haryana is fully capable of implementing every scheme."

"Protect the citizens by taking responsibility for pollution in Delhi. In this time of crisis, leaving Delhi and travelling to other states to campaign for elections is a sign of your irresponsibility," Khattar told Kejriwal, who has been campaigning in some poll-bound states.

On Sunday, Kejriwal had also attended a party event in Haryana's Rohtak.

"If you face any problem in running the governance of Delhi then please ask, we will be very happy to help you," Khattar further said.

Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR on Monday morning were recorded around seven to eight times above the government-prescribed safe limit, as a toxic haze persisted over the region for the seventh consecutive day.

The Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana was launched by Kejriwal on July 12, 2019. Under the scheme, the Delhi government offers free travel packages for pilgrimage to senior citizens from the national capital.

"In the entire country, the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana has been running only in Delhi till now. For the first time, the Aam Aadmi Party government ran such a scheme in Delhi. Under this scheme, we have facilitated pilgrimage for more than 75,000 elderly people of Delhi. We are happy that BJP is trying to work by learning from our government," Kejriwal had said in Hindi, tagging a recent post by Khattar.

"Khattar Sahib, if there is any problem in its implementation then please ask, we will be very happy to help the people of Haryana," he added.

In his recent post on X in Hindi, Khattar said, "The state government will provide free railway travel to pilgrimage places like Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Amritsar, Patna Sahib. For this we have created 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana' for people above 60 years of age, definitely, you should take advantage of this scheme."

This is not the first time that the two leaders have been involved in a war of words over social media.

In September, Khattar had accused the Aam Aadmi Party national convener Kejriwal of frittering away public resources on his populist schemes.

"I use public money for the needs of the public. We help whoever needs it. I also give facilities to the people and respect their self-respect. I do not think money is 'free' nor do I spend it on myself like 'AAP' does," Khattar had said in a post on X.

"We provide free facilities to the public with public money. It is bound to trouble you, Khattar Sahab. Because in your party, there is a trend of looting public money for your special friends," Kejriwal had stated.