Nation sinking under weight of Modi govt’s incompetence, says Sonia

She urged Modi to urgently call an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 situation

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently call an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 situation. She also demanded that parliamentary standing committees be convened to ensure collective action and accountability in combating the pandemic.

Sonia Gandhi, in her opening remarks at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, said the party firmly believes that the fight against COVID-19 is not a 'government versus us' tussle but a 'us versus corona' battle, and it transcends political differences.

“In that spirit, as a first step, I believe that the Modi government must urgently call an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 situation,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi said that the system has not failed, but the Modi government has failed to constructively channelise the country's strengths and resources. She said the country is crippled by a political leadership that has no empathy for the people. “The Modi government has failed the people of our country,” she said.

“It is utterly shocking to see the Modi government abdicate its moral obligation and its sworn duty towards the people,” she said.

Demanding that parliamentary standing committees meet to oversee the fight against COVID-19, she asked the Congress's leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to bring to the notice of the presiding officer the Report of Standing Committee on Health presented in October 2020, which had raised serious concerns regarding the country's preparedness against the pandemic, and demand that he take action on the recommendations of the report.

Sonia Gandhi accused the Modi government of abdicating its fundamental responsibilities and duties towards the people as COVID-19 cases surge. “The government’s own Empowered Groups and its National Task Force for COVID-19 had warned the Modi government that a second wave was imminent and urged it to plan and prepare for it,” she said.

She said while the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and opposition parties had raised serious concerns regarding the country's preparedness, earlier this year “the prime minister arrogantly boasted that he had defeated the pandemic and his party obediently felicitated him for his so-called success”.

She said the Modi government ignored expert advice and refused to strengthen the supply chains for oxygen, medicines and ventilators. “It failed to place sufficient orders for vaccines in time to meet the needs of our people. Instead, it consciously chose to allocate thousands of crores for non-essential projects that have nothing to do with the peoples’ well-being,” she said.

She claimed that some state BJP governments, instead of helping patients, were using the state’s repressive power to arrest people merely for crying out for help. “They are cracking down on citizen groups who are trying their best to help. They are also compelling social media platforms and the media to obfuscate the truth and ignore the pleas of desperate citizens,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi also attacked the Modi government for placing financial burden as regards purchasing vaccines on the already stretched state governments even as Parliament had allocated Rs 35,000 crore in the Union budget to ensure free vaccines for all.

She criticised the Modi government's vaccination policy, saying it was inequitable and would exclude millions of dalits, Adivasis, Other Backwards Classes, as well as the poor and the marginalised.

Sonia said suggestions made by her and the other Congress leaders and chief ministers to the Centre have fallen on deaf ears and the government has given no meaningful response and continues to believe that it alone has the answers.

“The situation brooks no delay. Tackling this crisis requires able, calm and visionary leadership. The nation is sinking under the weight of the Modi government’s indifference and incompetence,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi said that it was imperative for the Congress to enhance and streamline its COVID-19 relief efforts. She said efforts must be made to organise ambulances, temporary beds, oxygen concentrators and necessary medicines. “In our party, there are many resourceful persons. I urge them to come forward and render whatever help possible through our states’ relief control room or on their own,” she said.