The spirit of ‘Federalism’ has been forgotten as all power is now concentrated in the Prime Minister’s Office, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Friday while addressing a joint Opposition meet via video conferencing to discuss the government’s handling of the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic.
Top Opposition leaders including Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference Omar Abdullah, DMK’s M.K. Stalin, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja attended the meeting.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party were the notable absentees.
The meeting began by condoling the loss of lives and destruction in West Bengal and Odisha caused by cyclone Amphan and urged the Centre to declare it as a national calamity for providing better financial assistance to the States.
Leaders of Opposition parties during a virtual meet called by Congress. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The virtual meeting of Opposition leaders comes almost two months after the Centre declared a nationwide lock down on March 25 to prevent the spread of COVID 19.
“That the present government has no solutions is worrying; but that it has no empathy or compassion for the poor and vulnerable is heartbreaking. The government has also abandoned any pretence of being a democratic government. All power is now concentrated in one office, the PMO. The spirit of Federalism which is an integral part of our Constitution is all but forgotten,” Ms Gandhi said in her opening remarks.
The Congress chief noted that lakhs of migrant workers, many with children, walking hundreds of kilometres, without money, food or medicines, have become the ‘defining image of the pandemic’.
“The economy has been gravely crippled. Every economist of repute had advised an immediate need for a massive fiscal stimulus. The Prime Minister’s announcement on May 12 of a grand Rs 20 lakh crore package — and the Finance Minister spelling out its details over the next five days, have turned out to be a cruel joke on the country,” she said.
“Far from offering succour and support, the government has embarked on a wild adventure of so-called reforms including a grand clearance sale of PSUs and repeal of labour laws. There is not even a pretence of consultation with stakeholders or debate in Parliament. We deplore these unilateral moves.
“A number of renowned economists are predicting that 2020-21 will end with negative growth of up to minus 5 per cent. The consequences will be catastrophic,” Ms Gandhi added.
She said the government has largely ignored the suggestions of like-minded Opposition parties to transfer cash and free food grains to the 13 crore families at the bottom of the economic pyramid; provide wage protection to laid off and retrenched workers and assistance fund for 5.8 crore micro small medium enterprises (MSME).
“Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” she said.
The Congress chief said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initial optimism of bring able to “conclude the war against the virus in 21 days turned out to be misplaced”.