Caught off guard by second wave: Sonia Gandhi slams Modi over Covid-19 handling

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused the Modi government of maintaining a “thundering silence” on demands from chief ministers of Congress-ruled states for supply of vaccines, oxygen and ventilators to deal with the challenging Covid-19 situation.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Gandhi also urged the government not to take an adversarial position by getting into a “convoluted ‘me versus you’ debate” with the opposition.

She attacked the government over “the gross unpreparedness and avoidable adhocism on part in foreseeing, evaluating and managing the crisis.”

“Our Chief Ministers have spoken to the Prime Minister and written to the concerned minister from time to time pleading for relief. Some of them were left with only a few days of vaccine, no oxygen or ventilators. But there has been thundering silence on the part of the Government,” Gandhi said in her opening remarks at the CWC.

Also read: Sonia Gandhi demands Covid-19 vaccination age be reduced to 25 years

She also asked the government to reconsider its priority for vaccine candidates by reducing the immunization age to 25 years and above as also for all younger persons with at-risk health disorders like asthma, angina, diabetes, kidney and liver diseases and other similar ailments.

“We cannot, however, lose sight of the fact that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the country with fury. Despite a year to prepare, we have, regrettably, been caught off guard again,” Gandhi said.

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She asked the government to consider the suggestions made by the Congress in the “spirit of true democratic traditions.”

“Taking on these challenging times as Indians rather than as political opponents will be true Rajadharma,” she said asking the government to waive GST on medicine and medical equipment required to fight Covid-19, provide Rs 6,000 per month of financial assistance to the needy families and ensure safe transportation for the migrant workers who have already started returning home due to partial lockdowns in various cities.

Drugs like Remdesivir and medical oxygen as also other basic supplements were subjected to GST @ 12 per cent. Even basic equipment like oximeters and life-saving critical equipment like ventilators were subjected to 20 per cent GST.

“In the current state of affairs, this is inhuman and untenable,” Gandhi said.