The Shiv Sena on Tuesday described Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as the "family doctor" of the 12 crore people of the state, saying his "caring attitude" and efforts have prevented the state from crossing the "danger level" of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena also said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acknowledged Maharashtra's efforts in mitigating the second wave of the pandemic.
In his recent interaction with physicians, the chief minister had urged them to help in the early diagnosis of Covid-19 infection in their patients and facilitate timely treatment for them.
Terming Thackeray, who heads the Sena, a "Covidologist", the editorial said he was probably the only chief minister who has studied the Covid-19 crisis in detail.
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The number of daily coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra, which has been reeling under the resurgent pandemic, dropped below 40,000 to 37,236 on Monday for the first time after March 31.
As of May 10, Maharashtra's caseload stood at 51,38,973 including 76,398 fatalities.
"Chief Minister Thackeray studied the pandemic in detail and is working hard to bring down the cases. He has (in a way) become a family doctor of the 12 crore people of Maharashtra," the Sena said.
"He did not let Maharashtra cross the danger level. Not only that but Thackeray is also instilling courage and strength in the people to fight the Covid-19 by becoming their family doctor. It is the duty of everyone to support him," the Sena said.
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The party said heart-wrenching photographs of corpses of people who have died of Covid-19 piling up in other parts of the country are being published daily by the international media.
"But there are no such photographs from Maharashtra. Who should be credited for the same if not CM Thackeray?" the Sena asked.
The Sena further said the state government was preparing itself to fight the third wave of Covid-19 which is predicted to affect children more than other age groups.
The Sena said the CM's priority was to protect children during the third wave and he has asked doctors to pay attention to identify certain symptoms in children.
"...This is a sign of a family head. The chief minister is personally paying attention towards (availability of) medical oxygen and vaccination," the Sena said.
In a veiled dig at the BJP and other opposition parties that have been accusing Thackeray of not stepping out of his residence for fear of catching the viral infection, the Sena said, "Thackery has stopped moving out unnecessarily".
"Thackeray also locked down frivolous politics and concentrated only on tackling Covid-19. Therefore, even Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi could not resist himself from praising Maharashtra," the Sena said.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) recently issued a statement saying Modi, during his interaction with Thackeray over the phone, acknowledged that Maharashtra has been tackling the second wave of the pandemic well.
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