Hiding figures during pandemic can backfire: Aaditya Thackeray

Hiding figures during a pandemic could backfire, Maharashtra’s Tourism Minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said, rejecting the BJP charge that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is hiding Covid-19 figures.

“Let is be clear…in a pandemic situation, if we hide figures it would boomerang…this is not done and we would never do it,” Aaditya said.

“If fact, if figures are more, let it be real.... we are with the doctors,” said Aaditya, the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Speaking to a Marathi channel, he said that the government is focused on the 3Ts concept: Tracking, Testing and Treating. “The figures can be gauged from the positivity rate,” he said.

According to Aaditya, who also holds the environment and protocol portfolios, said that the RT-PCR is the gold standard among several tests, and the government is committed to increasing the testing.

The comment comes a day after former chief minister and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis said: “Decreasing number of tests in the state including Mumbai, low number of RT-PCR tests, increased risk of infection, 20 per cent of the total deaths in the state are in Mumbai, old records are not updated, accurate information is not available for Coronavirus fight."

Asked about this, Aaditya said: “We do not want to politicise it…but can look at the figures of other states including BJP-ruled states.”

When pointed out that the chief minister is generally not seen in the field, he said: “A general sits in the war room controlling things…the chief minister is there monitoring everything, speaking to ministers, guardian ministers and officials.”