BJP govts were busy purchasing MLAs after first Covid wave: Gujarat Congress ex-chief

Former Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Arjun Modhwadia Thursday said that the BJP-led governments in Centre and states were busy “purchasing MLAs” instead of arranging more medical facilities for people after the first wave of Covid-19.

In a press conference held at Rajiv Gandhi bhawan in Paldi of Ahmedabad, Modhwadia said, “After the first wave of the pandemic in the country, the union government should have made arrangements for more hospitals, beds for patients and critical medicines such as remdesivir. However the BJP-led union and state governments were busy purchasing MLAs, toppling democratically chosen state governments and winning elections. The second surge of Covid-19 is primarily due to the irresponsible manner in which elections rallies were held across six states of India and how religious congregations were allowed.”

“It is due to the failed policies of the Narendra Modi government that first time after the Bengal famine we have seen such a large level pandemic. The deaths in India in the past one year due to Covid-19 is more than combined number of casualties of all the wars India has fought since independence,” he said.

“Even today relatives of patient are finding it difficult to procure critical medicines and already we are facing the wrath of another disease called black fungus. We are facing huge shortage of vaccines and the Modi government had gifted crores of vaccines to other countries. We demand to the union government that India be included as part of universal vaccination program so that citizens can avail all the vaccines available globally,” said Modhwadia.

Meanwhile, senior congress leaders such as Amit Chavda, interim president of GPCC and Paresh Dhanani interim leader of opposition visited various primary health care centres in rural areas of Gujarat on Thursday to take stock of situation.

“After visiting PHCs in rural areas of Gujarat, it is clear that there is a lack of coordination and will power in the state government. There is scarcity of testing kits and due to delay in reports, cases of infection are rising. In Aravalli district, people are running from pillar to post for medical cares. The Modasa government hospital and nearby PHC have lack of beds, oxygen and critical injections for patients (sic)” tweeted Chavda.