Hemant Soren government ignoring Opposition’s suggestions to check pandemic in state, says Deepak Prakash

RANCHI: BJP’s Jharkhand president Deepak Prakash on Friday said the Hemant Soren government must take the opinion of political parties from both ruling and opposition parties, civil society groups and NGOs before taking a call on the fate of the ongoing lockdown and unlock phases.
Speaking to journalists in a virtual press meet in the afternoon, Prakash claimed that the government has ignored all suggestions given by BJP for ensuring better management of the pandemic in Jharkhand, since the lockdown came into effect on March 22.
“The government invited us for talks in the early days of lockdown. Since then, it has not taken any suggestions from opposition parties, NGOs or civil society groups. As president of Jharkhand’s biggest opposition party, I had written several letters to the CM. Our legislative party leader (Babulal Marandi) had also written to Hemant Ji on many occasions to draw the government’s attention to the flaws in Covid-19 management. But none was answered,” Prakash claimed.
Expressing concerns over the growing cases of Covid-19 in the state, Prakash called for a complete re-evaluation of the state’s scenario before a call is taken about the lockdown. “The law enforcement machinery, such as police and district administrations, must be directed to penalize people who are flouting social-distancing norms and venturing out without face masks,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
Prakash claimed that the Soren government has “failed” to provide basic essential items to the economically vulnerable sections of society during the lockdown.
“The Centre’s relief packages to the MSME sector, farmers and foodgrain distribution have not reached the last-mile beneficiaries in Jharkhand. In the past six months since assuming office, the current dispensation has been unable to improve the state’s economic indicators as well,” he said.
The BJP president also listed the measures being taken by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.