‘Troll’ Rahul Gandhi spread lies, confusion over vaccines, pandemic: Sambit Patra

A day after the Modi government faced backlash from the opposition over a written reply in Rajya Sabha in which the government claimed that no death was reported by states due to lack of oxygen, the BJP today hit back saying that the Centre is only keeping a record of data sent by the states.

Slamming the government over the statement, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that it wasn’t just the lack of oxygen but a severe lack of sensitivity and truth on the part of the Modi government.

सिर्फ़ ऑक्सीजन की ही कमी नहीं थी।

संवेदनशीलता व सत्य की भारी कमी-
तब भी थी, आज भी है। pic.twitter.com/DPhjih2jbX

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 20, 2021

The Congress party has claimed that a total of 629 people died due to lack of oxygen. “Over 629 Indians died due to lack of oxygen in at least 110 hospitals across the country. The government can lie, obfuscate data, manipulate the facts but it cannot take away the pain of our people,” said Congress.

Over 629 Indians died due to lack of oxygen in at least 110 hospitals across the country.
The govt can lie, obfuscate data, manipulate the facts but it cannot take away the pain of our people.

Every Indian knows what happened in the 2nd wave, propaganda won't change that. https://t.co/fqNjpdVfi1

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 20, 2021

“Every Indian knows what happened in the second wave, propaganda won’t change that”

To this, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Rahul Gandhi has been spreading lies and confusion while acting as a Twitter troll. “Whether it is the pandemic, whether it is the matter of vaccine, lying on every topic, spreading confusion about every topic and misguiding people on every topic, this is what Rahul Gandhi has done while acting as a Twitter troll,” said Patra.

Patra said that there are three things worth noting in the answer given by the government to the question of deaths due to the lack of oxygen.

“On the answer given to this, three things are worth noting. 1- The Center says that health is a state subject. 2- The Center says that we only store the data sent by the states. 3- We have issued a guideline, on the basis of which the states can report their death figures. No state has sent any data on deaths due to lack of oxygen. No one said that their state had died due to lack of oxygen,” he said.

Patra claimed that the Maharashtra government has admitted before the court that no death was caused due to oxygen and the Chhattisgarh government has also said that not a single death has occurred in the state due to lack of oxygen. While the Congress is directly in power in Chhattisgarh, it rules Maharashtra through Maha Vikas Aghadi – a coalition of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress.

Not only the Congress, but the Shiv Sena has also slammed the Centre over the statement. “I am speechless. What would have happened to the families of those who lost their loved ones to the oxygen shortage after hearing this statement? A case should be filed against the government. They are lying,” said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

To this, BJP’s National General Secretary BL Santosh asked Raut to tell CM Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra health minister to give statistics of death due to Oxygen shortage to the Centre. Notably, the Maharashtra government had informed the Bombay High Court that no deaths were reported in the state on account of shortage of oxygen.