Modi government's lack of planning, incompetence responsible for oxygen crisis: Priyanka Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Saturday blamed the government's alleged incompetence and lack of planning for the medical oxygen crisis during the second wave of coronavirus in the country, and said it must answer the public for the lives lost to COVID-19.

Taking forward her "Zimmedaar Kaun (who is responsible)" campaign, under which she has been asking questions of the government over its handling of the pandemic, she said it's time for the ruling dispensation to answer for its actions.

She alleged that India increased its oxygen exports by "700 per cent during 2020 and did not make any efforts to import oxygen" when the demand in the country skyrocketed during the second Covid wave.

"It is clear that the Modi government's lack of planning and incompetence are responsible for the shortage of oxygen that devastated lives in the second wave. Now, it's time for them to answer to the public," she said in a Facebook post.

She asked as to why there was "no contingency plan" for the supply of oxygen.

"Why was the advice of the Empowered Group-VI summarily ignored? Why was no provision made for increasing the number of cryogenic tankers, when by all accounts a second wave was imminent?" she asked.

Vadra said as the second wave of Covid raged across the country, almost every state began reporting a shortage of oxygen and many people died gasping for air.

"Who is responsible for the lack of oxygen in hospitals across India?" "Why were the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Health ignored," she asked.

"And no control exercised on the price of oxygen cylinders and their refilling."