PM Modi negligent, callous in tackling Covid-19, must follow 'raj dharma': Congress

Surjewala asked how can the government export vaccine when it is in acute shortage in the country and when there is no vaccine for Indians

Congress on Wednesday slammed the Modi government’s handling of Covid-19 situation and accused it of jeopardising the lives of millions through its “callous” approach to the pandemic.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Saturday to discuss the situation across the country and recommend steps for effective response to deal with the infectious disease.

On Wednesday, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra discussed the Covid-19 situation in Uttar Pradesh, where fresh cases have shot up in the past few days.

Read: First they ignore you, then you win: Rahul's swipe at Centre over fast-tracking approval for foreign vaccines

“Look at the irony of the government, it did nothing to increase the hospital capacity in the past one year. Now, the government has to increase the capacity in crematoria across the state,” Priyanka said addressing a virtual meeting of party’s leaders in Uttar Pradesh.

In Delhi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at the Modi government over shortage of vaccines, oxygen and life saving drugs for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

“The Prime Minister is negligent, careless, cruel and callous in tackling Covid-19. The Modi government has jeopardised the lives of Indians by its negligent conduct,” he told reporters.

“The government has been completely careless and cruel when it comes to ensuring life-saving drugs, oxygen and availability of beds, ramping up health infrastructure and ramping up vaccine production. It has proved incompetent in handling Covid-19,” Surjewala said.

Congress has been asking the government to ban exports of vaccines and make them available to Indians first and even pitched for speedy approvals for more vaccines for use in the country.

On Saturday, Gandhi is scheduled to discuss the emerging situation with top party leaders.

Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand the vaccination drive and provide income support to the poor to tide over the crises.

Recently, the Congress president had met chief ministers of party-ruled states and ministers where the party is in power as a member of a coalition.