Congressional working committee declares ‘colossal mismanagement’ of Covid fight by government
Accusing the BJP government of “colossal mismanagement” in the fight against the pandemic, Congress said on Saturday that the Center had failed on several fronts, including raising awareness that a waning pandemic could be the precursor to a deadlier second wave and escalate rapidly. production and supply of the two approved vaccines by providing sufficient funds and other concessions.
A congressional task force meeting warned the nation would face an “unprecedented catastrophe” unless “urgent corrective action is taken”.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress has said, will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday outlining a series of party suggestions. For example, Congresswoman Sonia Gandhi, during the meeting, said the government should lower the age of vaccination to 25 and above, as well as younger people with medical conditions.
Arguing that experts had warned that a second rescue was possible and possibly imminent, Congress said the Center had failed to take action and paved the way for the devastation wrought by the second wave. “Despite a year of preparation, we were unfortunately caught off guard again,” Gandhi said.
Congress said the government had failed to universalize vaccination, remove pre-registration and bureaucratic control of the program, leave vaccine deployment to state governments and public and private hospitals, and minimize wastage of vaccines.
At a press conference after the meeting, senior Congress official P Chidambaram said it was ‘shockingly insensitive’ for the prime minister to address rallies in West Bengal instead. to stay in Delhi and coordinate among ministers.
“We all know this is a one-person government. All decisions are taken by the Prime Minister or on his behalf by the Prime Minister’s office. He should be there in Delhi to fight this war,” he said.
Chidambaram also backed the request of the Trinamool Congress to bludgeon the remaining phases of the elections in Bengal and argued that the prime minister’s call to keep the Kumbh Mela “symbolic” was too late. “How many days has the Kumbh mela lasted already? … So it locks the stable again after the horses run away,” he said.
