Arvind Kejriwal turns 52; prays for good health of Delhiites at Hanuman temple

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who turned 52 on Sunday, visited the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place in the city along with his wife and prayed for the good health of Delhiities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party volunteers on Independence Day on Saturday, Kejriwal, the national convener of the party, had said he would not celebrate his birthday this year and urged them to send their wishes from home.

There were no festivities at the chief minister's residence in north Delhi's Civil Lines area, unlike previous years when he was visited by AAP leaders, workers and admirers.

"On his birthday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place, worshipped the deity and performed 'abhishek'. He prayed for the good health of the people of Delhi," the Chief Minister's Office said in a tweet in Hindi with pictures of Kejriwal and his wife Sunita at the temple.

The AAP national convener was greeted on his birthday by many leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on social media.

"Birthday wishes to Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal Ji. Praying for his long and healthy life," the prime minister said in a tweet.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri too greeted Kejriwal on his birthday.

"Felicitations to my friend & Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal Ji on his birthday. May God bless him with good health & long life. Many happy returns of the day," Puri wrote on Twitter.

Kejriwal, who had sought donations of oximeters as a birthday gift in his Independence Day address to party volunteers, said on Sunday that commitments for 30,000 pieces of the machine were received.

"Already recd commitments for 30,000 oxymeters. Am overwhelmed. Will now set up 'oxygen jaanch kendra' in 30,000 villages. Commitments still pouring in. Will help set it up in more villages. Thank u donors. We will train village youth n give them oxymeters to set up oxy kendras," he said in a tweet.

Kejriwal had asked AAP volunteers to take the responsibility for their colonies and villages and set up oxygen-testing centres there.

Oximeters are devices used to measure the oxygen level in the body. One of the symptoms of the coronavirus infection is a drop in the oxygen level in the body.