Maharashtra: MLAs must talk about Centre’s work during Covid-19 pandemic, says BJP

While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government is drawing flak over handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and its alleged non-cooperation with the non-BJP governments, the Maharashtra unit of the party has asked its legislators to educate people about the Central government’s performance

While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government is drawing flak over handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and its alleged non-cooperation with the non-BJP governments, the Maharashtra unit of the party has asked its legislators to educate people about the Central government’s performance.

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While addressing the legislators of the party May 1, leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis narrated the steps taken by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi government to manage the second wave of pandemic witnessed across the country and told them to put the same in front of the people.

Fadnavis also slammed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra and said it was blaming the Centre to cover its failures. “The second wave has indeed hit India very badly and our healthcare system has been badly affected. But it is because 15% of the infected patients need oxygen and hospital care. To address this emergency (PM) Modi government imported a fair amount of oxygen, invoked special powers to give loan licences for the production of Remdesivir. This has helped in meeting the rising demands for oxygen and life-saving drugs,” he said during his recent virtual interaction with the MLAs. BJP released the videos of the meeting on Thursday.

Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra has been the largest beneficiary of Remdesivir injections, liquid medical oxygen and even the vaccines. Maharashtra has got an allocation of 475,000 Remdesivir in 10 days, 1,800 metric tonnes per day and it is the highest allocation among other states. Maharashtra government has failed to install 10 centrally sponsored PSA (pressure swing adsorption) oxygen plants for which the fund of ₹402 crore was allocated by the Centre in January. Similarly, MVA leaders have been blaming the (PM) Modi government for the export of vaccines to other countries, but it was part of international diplomacy. The Maharashtra government has been boasting of having done the highest vaccination in the country. It should answer who provided the vaccines for it,” he said.

In a recent meeting with the party legislators, he also asked them to explain these facts to the people of Maharashtra.

Fadnavis also said that a few ‘leftist liberals’ were trying to defame India with the help of international media. “But all of you should take the reality to the people with pride as there were honest steps taken by the Centre to fight back the situation,” he said.

BJP’s damage control initiative comes in the wake of a blame game between non-BJP state governments and the Centre over supplies of medical equipment and cooperation. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders in Maharashtra slammed the Centre for the disruption in supply again.

Maharashtra’s public health minister Rajesh Tope has blamed the Centre for the delay in granting clearance for the import of the medical equipment and drugs. The department of pharmaceuticals is not giving the expected cooperation for the import from other states, he said. Tope said that they were expecting 3.5 lakh Remdesivir from other countries in the next couple of days.

Maharashtra has floated a global tender for the import of Remdesivir, liquid medical oxygen, oxygen storage tanks, oxygen concentrators amid the shortage during the second wave of the pandemic.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant has criticised the Central government for its negligence in dispatching the medical material to states. “(PM) Modi government sent 60 ventilators to Nashik corporation 10 days ago from the PM Cares funds, but they did not have connectors with them. The ventilators are lying unused even when there is a dire need. How can such negligence be accepted? It is an example of laxity in planning and management of the Modi government,” he said.