Congress accuses Karnataka govt of fudging Covid-19 death figures

Former Congress minister Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday dished out statistics and claimed that the BJP government was fudging Covid-19 death numbers to avoid paying compensation to people who succumbed to the virus.

Reddy, the BTM Layout legislator, also heads the Public Accounts Committee that is looking into complaints of Covid-19 mismanagement. ‘

According to Reddy, there is suspicion over the deaths of as many as 1.62 lakh people in Karnataka.

“As per information provided by the state government, the number of people who died due to Covid-19 is 37,318. As per information from the Chief Registrar of Births & Deaths, there were 4.83 lakh deaths in 2018, 5.08 lakh in 2019 and 5.51 lakh in 2020.

"Every year, the number of deaths is increasing. In the first seven months of 2021, up to July, 4.21 lakh people have died. The number of deaths for the first seven months of 2020 was 2.64 lakh. That’s 1.62 lakh more. How did these 1.62 lakh people die? Was there a tsunami, earthquake or a cyclone in Karnataka? Or, was there cholera or plague,” Reddy asked.

The Congress working president said these statistics were “proof” that the government was lying about Covid-19 deaths.

Also read: Experts ring alarm bells on Covid reinfections, breakthrough cases in Karnataka: Report

“If coronavirus patients with comorbidities die, then they won’t get a Covid-19 death certificate. Also, if patients test negative later and then die, it won’t be a Covid-19 death. The 37,000-figure of the government is only for those people who had no other illness,” Reddy explained.

The Congress leader claimed that the government understated the deaths as it had committed to compensating the bereaved families. The government has ordered Rs 1 lakh to be given to BPL families whose adults die of Covid-19.

The Congress, which is doggedly pursuing its claim of false death figures, will raise the issue in the legislature session that starts September 13, Reddy said.

Health Minister K Sudhakar has, earlier, denied the Congress' claim that the government lied about Covid-19 figures.

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