E-Paper
Can’t ignore Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra: Fadnavis write to Sonia Gandhi
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking her “attention” to the state, which is ruled by a coalition of three parties, including hers
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking her “attention” to the state, which is ruled by a coalition of three parties, including hers.
Fadnavis said that the pandemic situation in Maharashtra is the worst and that her party should not indulge in politics or create a negative atmosphere and must instead play the role of a constructive Opposition in the Centre, like his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is doing in the state.
The four-page letter by Fadnavis comes following Gandhi’s suggestions to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi over the handling of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country. Fadnavis said that though questions have been raised on the Central government’s handling of the outbreak, one cannot ignore the situation in Maharashtra either.
“As on May 13 (Thursday), of the total cases in the country, 22% came from Maharashtra. The state still contributes to nearly 31% of the fatalities in the country. If we talk about the active cases in the country, 14% are from Maharashtra… you would agree that if the situation in Maharashtra improves faster, then the load on the nation’s machinery would reduce,” Fadnavis wrote.
The former chief minister further said that though Maharashtra is not ruled by BJP, the Centre has stood with the state and provided it with the maximum help in terms relief and other equipment. Fadnavis also alleged that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has reduced testing in Mumbai, even as rapid antigen tests form a considerable chunk of the total tests conducted.
“The deaths due to Covid-19 are hidden. While other districts in the state account to 0.8% of deaths in the ‘deaths due to other reason’ category, Mumbai has 40% deaths... In 2020, 9,603 deaths had been hidden,” Fadnavis alleged.
He added, “MVA government has left the fate of the backward regions such as Marathwada, Vidarbha and north Maharashtra to God. No help is being rendered here. In rural areas, neither beds nor treatment are available in hospitals. People have to struggle for Remdesivir and oxygen.”
Responding to the allegations, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole in a statement said that the letter is an attempt to deviate attention from the failure of the Centre.
Patole added that Fadnavis should show the “courage to write a letter to Modi, who has turned the country into a cremation ground”.
On Fadnavis’s allegation on Mumbai, Patole said that the Centre and the Niti Aayog have praised the ‘Mumbai model’. He asked if the Centre and Niti Aayog are lying.
State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “This party [BJP] cannot think beyond political opportunism and power, and is completely unconcerned about the plight of people.”
“The party of superspreaders, including PM and HM (home minister) are blaming every other person for the crisis that their government failed to handle,” he added, referring to the campaigning for Assembly elections in West Bengal.
