Sonia Gandhi urges for all-party meet to discuss India’s Covid situation

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday criticised the government for its handling of the second wave of the pandemic, accusing it of “failing” the people of India.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking the government to scientifically track the virus and its mutations across the country using genome sequencing as well as its disease patterns and keep the rest of the world informed about the findings.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Sonia said, “India is crippled by a political leadership today that has no empathy for the people…The nation is sinking under the weight of the Modi government’s indifference and incompetence.”

Urging the Centre to convene an all-party meeting to discuss Covid-19 situation, Sonia said, “The government’s own Empowered Groups and its National Task Force for Covid-19 had warned the Modi government that a second wave was imminent and urged it to plan and prepare for it. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and opposition parties had raised serious concerns regarding our preparedness. Yet, earlier this year the Prime Minister arrogantly boasted that he had defeated the pandemic and his party obediently felicitated him for his so-called success.

“Ignoring expert advice, the Modi government refused to strengthen the supply-chains for oxygen, medicine, and ventilators. It failed to place sufficient orders for vaccines in time to meet the needs of our people. Instead, it consciously chose to allocate thousands of crores for non-essential projects that have nothing to do with the peoples’ well-being,” she said.

The Congress now plans to write to President Ram Nath Kovind to seek his urgent intervention, arguing that the government has abdicated its moral obligation and its sworn duty towards the people.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Rahul said the pandemic has demonstrated that India’s size, genetic diversity and complexity make the county fertile ground for the virus to rapidly mutate. “Allowing the uncontrollable spread of this virus in our country will be devastating not only for our people but also for the rest of the world. It is, therefore, absolutely critical that we… must scientifically track the virus and its mutations across the country using genome sequencing as well as its disease patterns…,” he wrote.

Targeting the government, Rahul said its “failures” have made another “devastating” national lockdown almost inevitable.

Arguing that it was critical that the people are prepared for such an eventuality, he said “I am aware that you are concerned about the economic impact of a lockdown. Inside and outside India, the human cost of allowing this virus to continue its march unimpeded will result in many more tragic consequences for our people than any purely economic calculations your advisors are suggesting.”