Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday once again lambasted the Centre for declaring early victory over Covid-19 pandemic.
Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader questioned if PM’s new residence and new Parliament building more important than health care facilities?
Questioning the government under her “Who is responsible” campaign, Priyanka Gandhi said that during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, people faced an acute shortage of ICU beds, hospital beds and oxygen.
Taking a swipe at PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi said, “When people of the country faced acute shortage of oxygen, ICU, Ventilator and hospital beds, the Prime Minister was engaged in fake publicity of victory over Covid-19.”
Gandhi said that the PM Modi in September last year had said that India has 2,27,972 oxygen beds but it reduced by 36 per cent to 1,57,344.
She said that during the same period ICU beds witnessed a decline of 46 per cent from 66,638 to 36,008 and ventilator beds were reduced to 23,618 from 33,024, witnessing a decline of 28 per cent.
Priyanka Gandhi further pointed out that the Standing Committee of Parliament on Health had warned of the Second Wave and also recommended focusing on hospital beds, oxygen availability.
“But the focus of the government was somewhere else,” she said.
Taking a potshot at the government Gandhi said that at the time when the government declared victory over Covid, it was unable to provide proper data on the availability of hospital beds on the Aarogya Setu app.
People had to run from pillar to post for hospital beds, she added.
Gandhi also said none of the 15 new AIIMS are functional as of date.
“Despite having a year’s time to prepare for Covid, why the government announced a false victory over the pandemic and decreased the number of hospital beds instead of increasing it?” said the Congress leader.