Hyderabad: Taking strong objection to Union Minister of Health (MoS) Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar's remark that no deaths due to lack of oxygen were specifically reported by states/Union territories during the second wave of COVID-19, the Congress has decided to move a privilege motion against her.
"Detailed guidelines for reporting of deaths have been issued by the Union Health Ministry to all states and UTs. Accordingly, all states and UTs report cases and deaths to the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis. However, no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states and UTs," Dr Bharati said in a written reply.
Her reply came in response to a question by Congress MP and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on whether a large number of COVID-19 patients died on roads and hospitals due to acute shortage of oxygen in the second wave. Shortly after Dr Bharati made the remark in a written reply, Venugopal accused the minister of having “misled” the house and called it "condemnable". “We have seen so many people die due to lack of oxygen in every state and also the national capital. Dr Bharati's remark is condemnable. We will move a privilege motion against her for misleading the house," he told reporters.
Also read: Opposition slams Centre over oxygen shortage, vaccine policy in RS
The privilege motion is moved by a member when he feels that a minister or any member has committed a breach of privilege of the House by withholding facts or by giving distorted facts. If admitted, the member is liable for punishment under the Parliamentary laws.
Taking a jibe against the government, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi wrote in Hindi, "It wasn't just the lack of oxygen. There was severe lack of sensitivity and truth -- then and now."
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, too, tweeted against the controversial remark. "Deaths didn't occur due to shortage of oxygen shortage, says Centre. Deaths occurred: because the government increased exports of oxygen by 700% in the pandemic year, because the government didn't arrange tankers to transport oxygen, the government ignored suggestions given by the empower committee and the parliamentary committee, the government wasn't proactive in installing oxygen plants in hospitals," she wrote.
Shantanu Sen of the Trinamool Congress, during a short duration discussion in the Rajya Sabha on COVID-19 management, said that people dying on roads due to shortage of oxygen in the 21st Century is a “matter of shame”.
Giriraj Singh's response to Gandhi's tweet Reacting to Gandhi's "lack of sensitivity and truth" remark, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh said Gandhi "lacks brain". Taking to Twitter, Singh wrote in Italian: "I would say about this prince: He lacked the brain then, he misses it now and he will miss it forever. These lists are compiled by the states. You can tell the states governed by your party to submit modified lists. Until then stop lying." In another tweet he wrote that Rahul Gandhi wouldn't have suffered "mental agony" had he asked the governments in Maharashtra, Punjab, Punjab and Chattisgarh for data as the state compile the data and forwward it to the Centre.
