Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi-led government’s policies and alleged that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and demonetisation had destroyed the country’s economy, while the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis had destroyed the people’s health.
Addressing party leaders at a meeting — a precursor for the virtual conduct of the ‘Prathijna’ event (of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president-designate D.K. Shivakumar officially taking charge) on July 2 — Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the untimely lockdown had rendered many people jobless and increased poverty in the nation.
The Prime Minister’s call for clapping from balconies and lighting lamps did not eliminate the virus, which has spread widely owing to lack of preparation to handle the pandemic, he said. The spread of COVID-19 could have been reduced if the Centre had banned the operation of international flights soon after the first case was reported on January 30 in Kerala, he said. The lockdown was imposed from March 25.
The former Chief Minister also said that Mr. Modi had “lied” to the people, saying that the government had given a stimulus package of ₹20 lakh crore, which constituted nearly 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “But the actual stimulus was less than 1% of the GDP,” he said. He added that Mr. Modi had enacted a “drama” through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and other such programmes, and had only implemented a “communal agenda”.
Through agencies such as the Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate, and Central Bureau of Investigation, the Centre “threatened” leaders of serving notice if they raised their voice against the government, Mr. Siddaramaiah alleged.
Mr. Shivakumar criticised the Karnataka government’s policies and said that it had lost an opportunity to serve the people during the lockdown.
No social distancing
Hundreds of party leaders, including MLAs, MLCs, and former Ministers, attended the programme, but social distancing norms were hardly followed inside the party office.