Sonia Gandhi seeks unity in leadership against Covid-19, calls handling of pandemic 'complete disaster'

As the second coronavirus wave ravages India, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi sought unity in leadership to fight the Covid-19 pandemic effectively. She said the fight against the coronavirus was a 'us vs corona,' and not amongst ourselves.

Describing the Modi government's handling of the pandemic as a complete disaster, Gandhi said the abdication of the leadership right now is 'shocking'. "It is as if our people have been abandoned by the all-around collapse of governance and relinquishment of responsibility," she said in an interview with The Indian Express.

Gandhi's criticism of the government comes as the daily Covid-19 infections continue to remain above three lakh. The rising cases and an acute shortage of life-saving medicines and medical oxygen has mounted pressure on the Modi-led administration to act swiftly even as Covid-related deaths near 2,00,000, which is also an underestimate, according to health experts.

Besides delay in action, PM Modi and the BJP have been under attack for continuing elections rallies in the poll-bound states, particularly In West Bengal where the cases have spiraled. Gandhi also admitted it was not wrong to say Congress also held election-related events amid Covid-19.

Gandhi further said the assembly elections were prioritised over the pandemic. "The entire focus has been on the Assembly elections instead of rising to the occasion to provide leadership and management of the huge upsurge in disease," she said.

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She also said that there were enough warnings of a new wave of the pandemic. She accused the government of not preparing for a surge in cases, and not revamping health infrastructure to bear the burden. "They have failed on every single front and yet, even as their political opponent, I don’t feel a sense of retribution. I feel deeply, deeply saddened and very angry at what they have done – or more accurately not done," she told the publication.

Extending support to the government in the fight against Covid-19, Gandhi said the Congress was ready for cooperation and working together. "We have to fight this battle together as a nation. The Modi government must realise that the battle is against Covid, not against the Congress or other political opponents," she said.

On former PM Manmohan Singh's letter to Modi over suggestions on vaccination, Gandhi said she was saddened by the Union government's "contemptuous response." She said Congress writing to the government was a help-offering and that she would be ready to work with the government side by side to deal with the pandemic.

In response, the government has announced vaccinations for all adults beginning next month. The vaccine policy, which allows states to procure jabs directly from manufacturers, has come in attack from the Opposition for being discriminatory. Gandhi asserted that vaccination should be free for all and claimed that government is complicit in profiteering over the vaccine.

"No other country in the world has such an insensitive and discriminatory vaccine policy. Tragically, we have a situation where we have one nation and five vaccine prices from two vaccine manufacturers," she said.