Fadnavis slams CM Uddhav for extending lockdown

Nagpur: Devendra Fadnavis, leader of opposition in the state assembly, slammed chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for extending the lockdown up to July 31. According to him extending lockdown is not the solution to combat the Covid-19 menace.
While talking to TOI he also flayed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s repeated decisions to reduce government expenditure.
“Lockdown is a stopgap arrangement and not a method to combat Covid. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the lockdown, we were not prepared for the pandemic. Now our preparedness is much better and hence economy should not be sacrificed if you are unable to control the disease,” said the former chief minister.
“The government must understand that the economy can survive under lockdown only for a limited time. It has a limited capacity for absorbing shocks. Beyond the break point, no amount of central government stimulus is going to help it. Even otherwise, the state government has not done anything to help small businesses, which are in a very bad shape and employ crores of people,” said the BJP leader.
According to him, state government should do massive testing for Covid, home quarantine asymptomatic ones and hospitalize those with moderate or acute symptoms. “This is being successfully done in Delhi. In Maharashtra, the rate of testing is far below than that required,” he further said.
Fadnavis claimed prolonged lockdown has damaged the relations between police and citizens. “The police personnel are tired after four months of lockdown duty. Many of them have contracted the disease. Now frustrated cops crack down hard on any violation and this antagonizes general people,” he said.
The former CM slammed Thackeray for reducing spending during a recession. “The government has repeatedly turned down our demand for a relief package. I have pointed out to the government several times that the low revenue period is a temporary one and the state’s economy would bounce back along with that of the nation. This is the time to help people in economical trouble, not reduce the spending,” he added.
“Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council will soon give revenue protection for seven years instead of five. This will take care of the lockdown shock. Even otherwise, central government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has created fiscal space for taking additional loans and helping the people,” said Fadnavis.