It’s a war of words between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Singapore government over the coronavirus variant found in that country and the Centre has clearly picked its side. The Indian foreign ministry on Wednesday said that the CM was not speaking for India and his comments were ‘irresponsible’

“Singapore and India have been solid partners in the fight against Covid-19… However, irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships. So, let me clarify- Delhi CM does not speak for India,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted on Wednesday.

Also read: In war over virus, Singapore hits out at Kejriwal, says ‘no new strain’

Earlier, the Singapore Government called the Indian High Commissioner to convey strong objection to Delhi CM’s tweet on “Singapore variant”. There too, the High Commissioner clarified that Delhi CM had no competence to pronounce on Covid variants or civil aviation policy.

Simon Wong, Singapore High Commissioner to India, later hinted that the country had contemplated legal action. “In Singapore, we have Protection from Online Falsehoods & Manipulation Act (POFMA) to mitigate misinformation and we reserve right to invoke POFMA on assertions made by CM (Delhi). However, we’re satisfied with GoI’s clarification,” Wong told ANI.

The war of viruses

The virus debate started with Singapore announcing closure of all schools on May 16 as the new B.1.617 coronavirus variant, first identified in India, “appeared to affect children more”, according to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung  

Two days later, Kejriwal said in a tweet, “A new variant of coronavirus found in Singapore is being said to be very dangerous for children. This can usher in the third wave (of COVID-19) in India. I appeal to the Central government to immediately halt air services with Singapore, and work on developing a vaccine for children on a priority basis.”

Also read: Arvind Kejriwal asks Centre to halt Singapore flights over new COVID strain

Singapore then hit back, saying there was no ‘Singapore strain’ and that the virus affecting children was the one found in India. “There is no Singapore variant,” read a press release by Singapore’s Health Ministry, which the diplomatic mission shared. “The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated in India,” it stated.