CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, highlighted the fact that unlike other world leaders, he had not addressed a single press conference, escaping all accountability on his government's handling of the ongoing health crisis.
Saying that the PM has shown “a singular disdain to face the media and reply to the concerns of the Indian people”, Mr. Yechury suggested 12 steps to handle COVID-19 pandemic.
“Leaders of governments in most countries address regular press conferences and answer questions. This is the only way to remain accountable and to give confidence to the people that the government is both competent and in command of the situation,” the letter said.
Mr. Yechury pointed out that many chief ministers are regularly meeting the press, like the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
“The Chief Minister of the LDF government in Kerala holds a daily press briefing and outlines the measures that the government has taken to generate the confidence required for the people to face this challenge. Democratic accountability is grossly missing in your style of governance,” the CPI(M) leader told Mr Modi.
Mr Yechury also accused the Union government of being grossly unfair to the State governments.
“A crisis has been created by the rapid announcement of a nationwide lockdown for the migrant workers. You are now asking the State governments to provide shelter, food and maintain physical distancing and other restrictions of the lockdown. This is patently unfair. Even the outstanding dues of the State governments over GST collections have not been paid yet. Indeed, funds must be liberally transferred to the States forthwith,” he said.
He also said that while money is being collected in a fund by a private trust that bears the PM's name, it has been officially stated that this fund shall not be audited either by the CAG or any other government-appointed auditor.
“Deductions from salaries of government employees and others are being forcibly transferred to this fund even if they are formally donated to the official Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. These funds must be immediately deployed to meet the requirements to strengthen the fight against the pandemic,” Mr Yechury said, adding that the government should also stop wasteful expenditure.
