A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the Central government for not granting permission to attend a conference in Singapore, the BJP on Monday attacked him questioning why the chief minister wants to attend an event meant for mayors.

BJP Lok Sabha Member from West Delhi Parvesh Verma said that the programme in Singapore has nothing for Kejriwal because he does not have any department matching subject of the event.

“It’s a mayors’ summit yet Kejriwal is so desperate to go there,” Verma said.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta also questioned the Chief Minister’s desperation to attend the Mayor’s summit.

BJP Lok Sabha Member from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari shared an invitation of the event showing mayors and other functionaries of cities in various countries listed as guest.

“Why is Delhi Chief Minister who does not have charge of any department in the government so desperate to go to Singapore,” Tiwari tweeted.

National in-charge of BJP Information and Technology Department Amit Malviya pointed out that Hemali Boghawala, Mayor of Surat, for instance, has also been invited from India.

“Arvind Kejriwal is seeking permission to attend a conference in Singapore, which is meant for Mayors. Someone remind him that he is still the Chief Minister of Delhi unless he thinks otherwise. Hemali Boghawala, Mayor of Surat, for instance, has also been invited from India,” Malviya said.

BJP youth wing national secretary, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga said: “Kejriwal is attacking the Central government for not giving him permission to attend the summit in Singapore. But the summit is of Mayors, Kejriwal is a Chief Minister. If he thinks he is just a Mayor he should announce publicly.”

A day after he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi citing the delay in getting approval for his planned visit to Singapore, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday again said that he doesn’t understand why the Centre is obstructing his visit to Singapore.

“The government of Singapore has specially invited me to present the Delhi Model at the World Cities Summit. I am an elected Chief Minister, I am not some petty criminal… fail to understand why the Centre is blocking my Singapore visit,” Kejriwal said while talking to the media.

On Sunday, the Delhi Chief Minister had written to the Prime Minister, alleging that he was not being allowed to go to Singapore. “Blocking a Chief Minister from attending such an event is against the interests of the nation. Kindly grant permission,” the letter read.