Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that though the second wave of COVID-19 had entered the fourth week and claimed over two lakh lives so far, there is “zero accountability” and every person is on his own.
In another tweet, Mr. Gandhi expressed his condolences to the families of those who died of COVID-19 without getting any treatment. Congress Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari lashed out at the Narendra Modi government over reports that the Centre had asked Indian envoys to counter the foreign media’s reportage of the government’s “poor handling” of the COVID-19 crisis.
Separately, Congress leaders, including former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, welcomed the Supreme Court’s observation on the government’s vaccine policy. The Congress has been staunchly opposing the differential pricing for vaccines for the Centre, States and private hospitals.
“Fourth week of the second wave of corona and more than two lakh dead. Accountability zero. The system has made one atma nirbhar (self-reliant),” Mr. Gandhi said on twitter.
“My condolences to fellow citizens losing their loved ones due to lack of treatment. You are not alone in this tragedy — prayers and sympathies are with you from every state of the country. There is hope if we are together,” he added.
As the number of COVID-19 deaths crossed the 2 lakh-mark on Friday, Congress leaders once again pitched former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion of invoking compulsory licensing provisions to expand the number of vaccine producers.
Commenting on the top court’s observation that the Centre should look at invoking Section 92 of the Patent Act and issue compulsory licenses to manufacture COVID-19 drugs by generic manufacturers, the party’s Rajya Sabha chief whip, Jairam Ramesh, said on Twitter, “Not only for drugs, but compulsory licensing for vaccines as well. This is exactly what Dr. Manmohan Singh had suggested to the Prime Minister on 18.04.2021, and what the Congress President has reiterated in her interview to The Hindu this morning”
“Grateful that the Supreme Court has raised the two issues that the Congress had first raised 15 days ago: vaccine prices and compulsory licensing to manufacture vaccines. The government brushed aside the Congress. The PM did not even acknowledge the letter of the former PM. The Health Minister was rude in addition to being incompetent,” Mr. Chidambaram said on Twitter and wondered how the Centre would respond to the top court’s suggestion.
Reacting over media reports that the Minister for External Affairs asked Indian envoys to counter foreign media’s reportage of the government’s poor COVID-19 handling, Mr. Tewari said, “There comes a time when reality pierces through make up. The grotesque ugliness manifests with full virulence When all the kings horses and all the kingsmen can not put Humpty-Dumpty together again. For God’s Sake now at least get your priorities right.”
