The Congress party has accused the State government of “conspiring to infect” the party leaders with COVID-19 by not sanitising the vehicles being used to take them to police stations after arrests during protests.
The allegation was made by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader M. Bhatti Vikramarka here on Monday. Speaking to newspersons at Gandhi Bhavan, he said their fears had some basis as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had himself once said that those who make allegations (question the government) would contract coronavirus.
Mr. Rao would stoop to any level to silence the voices against him or his rule, the CLP leader said.
All those questioning the Chief Minister or the State government on their inaction in handling various issues including the spread of COVID-19 were being arrested by the police and shifted to police station without even sanitising the vehicles. He felt it was not proper on part of the government to expose the Opposition leaders participating in protests to coronavirus infection.
Suggesting that it was the responsibility of the government/police to sanitise the vehicles properly before making the Opposition leaders board them after their arrests, Mr. Vikramarka pointed out that even the chairs in police stations in which they were being made to sit were not sanitised, increasing the threat of infection.
‘Don’t get into vehicles’
He asked the Congress leaders and activists not to get into the police vehicles or sit in chairs in police stations blindly without insisting on those be sanitised.
The CLP leader said both the Chief Minister and Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy would be held responsible if any Congress leader or activist contracts coronavirus due to travelling in police vehicles or sitting in police stations.