UP's Covid-19 fight in bad state, CM evading accountability: Priyanka

In a sharp attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said the fight against Covid-19 is in a bad state, but the CM is evading accountability by giving "childish statements" like calling it the century's weakest virus.

The Congress general secretary has been criticising the state government's response to the Covid-19 crisis repeatedly, alleging that it is indulging in propaganda, instead of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

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"CM Sahib and his officials have repeatedly claimed to have an adequate number of beds and of everything being fine in the fight against coronavirus, but looking at the condition of Lucknow in these media reports, it will be understood that the policy of hiding UP government's inadequate preparedness, poor management and weaknesses, has resulted in this bad state of affairs," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet and tagged media reports on long wait for beds for Covid patients in Lucknow.

"Patients are worried, health workers are worried, but the head of the government is evading accountability by making childish statements like 'this is the weakest virus of the century'," she said.

Tagging a video of rainwater pouring down from the ceiling of a coronavirus ward of a hospital in Bareilly, Priyanka Gandhi said a "waterfall has erupted at a Covid-19 ward".

Addressing an online yoga workshop last month, Adityanath had said one should not be afraid of the coronavirus.

"It is the weakest virus of the century, only the transmission of this virus is fast. You have to protect yourself from this infection, especially children, elderly and those who are already suffering from any disease are most vulnerable to this infection," he had said.

Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on July 19

Uttar Pradesh reported 24 more deaths due to coronavirus, raising the toll to 1,108, while the infection count reached 47,036 with 1,673 fresh cases, an official said on Saturday.