Picture : Twitter / ANI
In a scathing attack on the Modi government as covid cases surge in the country , Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in an interview to news agency ANI has slammed the Centre for showing insensitivity towards people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Priyanka said when people are screaming for shortages of medical oxygen, medicines and hospital beds, the central leaders are seen laughing during election rallies.
“Even today they’re busy with campaigning. They are laughing from the stages (at rallies). People are crying, screaming for help, seeking oxygen, beds, medicines, and you’re going to huge rallies and laughing! How can you?” the Congress leader said .
Slamming the government for taking opposition into confidence Priyanka said : “This govt can speak to ISI. They’re speaking to ISI in Dubai. Can’t they talk to Opposition leaders? I don’t think there’s any Opposition leader who’s not giving them constructive & positive suggestions…”
Elaborating about the deteriorating situation across the country due to COVID-19, She said that the Centre is engaged in election rallies for the West Bengal assembly polls.
Blaming the BJP-led government at the Centre for the alarming spread of COVID-19,She said that the Centre is concerned more about power rather than public health.
Hitting out at Central government for the shortage of oxygen cylinders in the hospitals, the Congress leader alleged that the shortage of medical oxygen was due to the lack of logistics, and asked why the government did not make arrangements when a second COVID-19 wave was likely to hit the country harder.
While adding that ” the government has failed to put in place a proper plan to battle the second wave of infections.”
“Why did it not make arrangements when a second wave was inevitable? The country is facing a shortage of oxygen because there was no strategy, this is the government’s failure and bad planning,” she added.
She asked the PM to act now as India is the biggest producer of oxygen.
The Congress leader said, “India’s production capacity for oxygen is one of the largest in the world. Then why’s there a shortage? You had 8-9 months (between first and second wave), your own serosurveys indicated that a second wave is imminent, you ignored it.”
“You had time. Today, only 2,000 trucks in India can transport oxygen. How tragic it is that oxygen is available but it’s not reaching where it should. 1.1 million Remdesivir injections were exported in the last 6 months. Today, we are facing a shortage,” she added.
“The government exported 6 crore vaccines between January-March. During this time 3-4 crore Indians were vaccinated. Why were Indians not prioritised? Vaccine shortage is due to bad planning, Remdesivir shortage is due to no planning, oxygen shortage due to no strategy. It’s the government’s failure,” she said while criticising the Centre for the shortage of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir as the country battles a second wave of infections.
