Congress calls Gujarat govt "underconfident" in dealing COVID crisis

Congress senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi slammed the Gujarat government saying that the government is inefficient in handling the coronavirus crisis. Congress also alleged that the state government of being undermined and underconfident in tackling the crisis.

New Delhi:A day after, Gujarat High Court compared Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital with a "dungeon" in its order, Congress alleged the state government of creating a "quadruple whammy", and showing "inefficiency" in handling the Coronavirus crisis.

"In Gujarat today, we don't have a healthcare system, we have a sick system. The inefficiency of the Gujarat state government in handling COVID crisis depicts that it is undermining, underconfident and underachieving," said Congress senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, during a press conference.

In its order on a suo moto PIL over coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, the Gujarat HC came down heavily on the state government for trying to "artificially control" the COVID data and called Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital "as good as a dungeon, maybe even worse". The court also mentioned that Civil Hospital has seen 377 COVID deaths so far, which accounted for 45% of the total deaths in Gujarat.

"As reported, references have been made to "sinking of titanic", the "extremely bad shape" of the hospital and the state government's bizarre intent to "artificially control the data qua the number of cases in the state". The HC remarks are some of the severest, most scathing and harshest strictures ever pronounces," said the Congress leader.

While alleging the state government of "quadruple whammy", Singhvi questioned, "Why is Gujarat Government, on the one hand, profiteering from an essential item like N95 mask, secondly levying steep penalty on those who do not wear Mask in public, thirdly making Public Hospital spaces a death trap and fourthly having a ventilator scam under its nose during COVID? Can such a quadruple whammy be tolerated by the common man of Gujarat and of India?"

Singhvi accused the state government, "close on the wheels of the non-existent ventilator scam", of selling N95 masks admittedly at Rs 65 as against procurement cost of Rs 49.61 per piece, while having a straight profit of 31%.

"Is it not true that by such methods of suppressed testing, transparency and the true nature of the problem is critically compromised, distorted and misrepresented for purposes of personal image?" he added.

The Congress leader also questioned the BJP led Central Government for not sending an inspection team to Gujarat, which was sent to West Bengal to investigate about the COVID-19 situation in the state. He said, "Have they used similar standards, similar adjectives, similar terms of endearment and similar inspection teams for Gujarat government as for West Benga? Also, why has the Honorable Gujarat Governor not adopted the same intrusive standards in his state as his West Bengal counterpart did?"

While taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, over the matter, as they belong to Gujarat, Singhvi said, "Are they even aware of what is happening in their home state? If so, have they ever intervened, chastised or punished the state government? Or does the latter have COVID immunity vaccine because they belong to BJP?"