HDK, ministers spar over Covid-19 response

Alleging that there was a lack of co-ordination between Health and Family Welfare Minister B Sriramulu and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy urged the ministers to work in tandem, here on Sunday.

Sriramulu and Sudhakar were quick to respond to the allegations, advising the JD(S) leader to set politics aside and work towards creating awareness against the spread of the disease. Kumaraswamy levelled the allegations in a series of tweets, where he recommended setting up quarantine centers rather than treating Covid-19 positive patients at hospitals with other patients.

“It is as if there are two poles when it comes to disbursing information about the virus to the general public. Health and Family Welfare, and Medical Education Minister should work in sync and there should be co-ordination between the two,” he tweeted. This should not reduce to an exercise to gain cheap publicity, which might create confusion among the people, he added.

Kumaraswamy added that explaining safety measures against Covid-19 should not be a publicity stunt.

Sriramulu, reacting to the tweets said that allegations by Kumaraswamy were baseless. “Though you have been confused a lot of late, I urge you not to confuse people,” he said.

Sudhakar said that the state government was working on war-footing to tackle the crisis. Such efforts - which included all efforts to detect infected patients, separate intensive care units, and a team of expert doctors who were working round the clock, he said, were being appreciated by the general public.

“My request to the former chief minister is to cooperate in raising awareness against the disease, by keeping politics aside during such sensitive circumstances. You too should be careful and remain safe. Any attempts to increase fears among the people is not advisable,” he added.