COVID battle transcends political differences; our performance in assembly polls disappointing: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: The Covid battle transcends political differences and everyone has to fight it together as a nation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Friday.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday chaired a meeting of all party MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to assess the situation arising out of the second wave of COVID-19 and evolve a political strategy.

The Modi government, she said, must urgently call an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 situation.

She also demanded that standing committees be convened to ensure collective action and accountability to combat the pandemic better.

Addressing her party's MPs for the first time since the election results to four states and one union territory, she said the CWC would meet soon to review the outcome.

This is the first meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) after the Budget session of Parliament that ended in March.

"We as a party collective must draw appropriate lessons from this setback in polls in the spirit of humility and honesty," she said.

Addressing the virtual meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, she said the Congress Working Committee (CWC) would meet soon to review the assembly poll results.

"Most unfortunately, our own performance in all the states was very disappointing and if I may say, unexpectedly so," she said while concluding her speech at the meeting.

"The CWC is meeting shortly to review the results but it goes without saying that we as a party collective must draw appropriate lessons from this setback in a spirit of humility and honesty," she also said.

The Congress has been critical of the Modi government's handling of the COVID situation in the country which is witnessing a record rise in cases.

India's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,14,91,598 with a record 4,14,188 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.