In the unprecedented Covid disaster, the Centre and Opposition-ruled states face off over vital provides of oxygen and vaccines. Coming after a protracted, bitter election marketing campaign in 4 states and a Union Territory, the divide has hardened. Congress president SONIA GANDHI in an interview to MANOJ C G speaks on the position of the Opposition, the administration of the Covid disaster and what must be accomplished. Excerpts:
Mrs Gandhi, how is Rahul Gandhi doing? Your son-in-law has just lately recovered from Covid, how’s the household?
Rahul is now bettering. As you recognize, Covid is an unpredictable illness and we’ve got to attend and look ahead to some extra days. Of course, I’m frightened additionally about Dr Manmohan Singh, and all our different fellow residents who’re going through an unprecedented disaster on account of this pandemic affecting so many family members. What is occurring is horrifying and I want everybody the perfect and urge everybody to keep in mind that precaution, prevention and remedy are the keys to preventing Covid.
This is among the worst public well being crises in current occasions. In the Emergency Room, it’s mentioned, an in depth investigation can wait, all arms should be on deck for vital care. Given this example, how do you see your position and the position of the Congress?
I really feel our position is two-fold. The first is to insist upon transparency and accountability and be a part of with the folks to place stress on the federal government (to) recognise that nothing is extra very important now than to save lots of lives. The abdication of management that we’re witnessing immediately is surprising and culpable. It is as if our folks have been deserted by the all-round collapse of governance and relinquishment of accountability. Therefore, our position as an Opposition to hearken to folks and to convey their anguish turns into all of the extra crucial. We should put as a lot stress as potential on the federal government to behave even now. It remains to be not too late. Timely motion, management and administration of Covid can nonetheless save lakhs of lives.
The second is to make use of our community of staff and leaders to supply as a lot assist, help and therapeutic to those that are struggling. Our celebration has arrange management rooms in each state. Our frontal organisations, together with Youth Congress, are reaching out…we’re pooling our sources to assist as many individuals as potential (with) entry to oxygen, beds and medicines…I’m repeatedly in contact with our state governments and so are numerous our colleagues.
What’s your view of the Centre’s Covid disaster administration?
The Modi authorities’s response to the second wave of Corona has been a whole catastrophe, bordering on utter negligence and leaving the folks to fend for themselves. The total focus has been on the Assembly elections as a substitute of rising to the event to supply management and administration of the large upsurge in illness. Even now, their selections are arbitrary and partisan. Their duplicity is inexcusable.
But that’s just one side of it. The abdication of governance has been a whole let down. There has been no technique or preparation in any respect.
Their personal sero-surveys gave ample warning of a second wave, the Parliamentary Committee on Covid produced a 120-page doc enumerating the actions they must have taken and the Opposition, together with the Congress, warned them repeatedly. They ignored all three, even accusing us of spreading panic.
No new services have been created. The capability for beds was not elevated. The medical sector was not supported financially in any approach. The ample provision of medicines was not accomplished. The crucial financial help to the migrant labour and the deprived by means of Rs 6,000-income help was not supplied. They have now proceeded to show India into an importer of vaccines and oxygen, once we have been in impact producing greater than sufficient to cowl our wants. They exported 1.1 million vials of Remdesivir with out making certain ample provisions for fellow Indians.
They have failed on each single entrance and but, at the same time as their political opponent, I don’t really feel a way of retribution. I really feel deeply, deeply saddened and really offended at what they’ve accomplished – or extra precisely not accomplished. It is really tragic that we’ve got come to this. Lives are being misplaced as a result of these in cost didn’t get their priorities proper.
The virus doesn’t comply with political faultlines. In the primary section, the states worst hit have been non-BJP-ruled states however UP and Karnataka curves are rising. Shouldn’t the discourse round Covid be framed past celebration strains?
Firstly, the virus is in every single place. For the final one yr, the Congress Party has prolonged its full cooperation to the federal government. We imagine that preventing Covid will not be a “You versus Us” battle however is a “Us versus Corona” battle. This battle is, subsequently, past political alignments. We should struggle this battle collectively as a nation. The Modi authorities should realise that the battle is in opposition to Covid, it isn’t in opposition to the Congress or different political opponents.
I used to be deeply saddened by the contemptuous response of the Modi authorities to the great and thoroughly thought of recommendations I’ve despatched in addition to these made by Dr Manmohan Singh and Rahul at numerous occasions. Is it right for the Modi authorities’s ministers to assault Opposition leaders or discover faults with Opposition States in the course of the pandemic, as a substitute of reaching out to work collectively?
If the federal government reaches out to the Congress for assist and concepts…are you open to sitting down (with them)?
Of course. My reply is an unequivocal sure. This is why we wrote to the Prime Minister giving constructive and concrete recommendations and repeatedly providing assist. The Congress Party has years of expertise in authorities and catastrophe administration.
Read | Ready to assist, we’d like political consensus to struggle Covid: Sonia Gandhi
What are the important thing issues that should be addressed proper now?
There are so many points that require instant consideration: making provision for oxygen; stopping black marketeering of medication; availability of beds; homecare protocols; vaccination; fast testing and tracing; financial help to the deprived and genetic sequencing of the virus other than common Covid administration. Since you ask about priorities, I’ll say this.
Firstly, instantly divert all sources in direction of supplying oxygen to hospitals throughout the nation. News report of deaths of sufferers owing to lack of oxygen in so many locations are devastating and replicate felony callousness on the a part of the authorities. Where was the advance planning? Should nobody be held accountable? Let us not neglect that India is amongst the most important producers of oxygen on the planet. We produce 7,500 metric tonnes of oxygen per day. We have sufficient oxygen to fulfill our wants. So will the federal government inform us the explanation for the present shortage of oxygen?
Isn’t it right {that a} Parliamentary Standing Committee in its report dated November 21, 2020 requested the federal government to make ample provision for oxygen in view of the onslaught of Covid? Why did the federal government not act upon this report?
…Secondly, convey collectively the sources of presidency and business to right away complement the variety of beds by creating momentary services on a struggle footing…Due to a lackadaisical and inconsiderate method within the useless perception that the pandemic had been managed, the variety of Covid beds within the nation truly declined since January 2021 and now we’ve got an absolute scarcity.
…Thirdly, ramp up testing exponentially…Transparency and publicly accessible information go a good distance in making certain that folks abide by security guidelines and take precautionary measures. If you try to conceal or sugar-coat the info, in the event you don’t resist the fact, you can’t deal realistically with the pandemic.
The Congress is in energy in three states, what are the teachings being learnt?
Both Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have surplus oxygen provide. In truth, they’ve already been helping different states with it. Punjab and Rajasthan have accomplished a reasonably good job so far as vaccinations are involved. Those states that deliberate upfront and laid out a transparent administration technique have accomplished higher.
Even Maharashtra, regardless of the onslaught of pandemic, has left no stone unturned and the outcomes have simply began displaying in flattening of the curve of surging infections. Overall, the perspective of governance needs to be clear, accountable, facilitative, cooperative and supportive in disaster moderately than opaque, aggressive and heartless.
The Opposition-ruled states have questioned the brand new vaccination coverage?
No different nation on the planet has such an insensitive and discriminatory vaccine coverage. Tragically, we’ve got a state of affairs the place we’ve got one nation and 5 vaccine costs from two vaccine producers. How can the Modi authorities stay a mute spectator to this brazen profiteering and discriminatory pricing of vaccine? It offers energy to the argument that the federal government is complicit in vaccine profiteering at the price of folks in the course of the pandemic.
Let us not neglect that India is the most important producer of vaccines on the planet. This capability has been constructed over final 70 years starting from the BCG vaccine to changing into an exporter of vaccine within the Nineteen Eighties. Even for Covid vaccine, WHO ordered vaccines with Indian firms months earlier than we did. India positioned its first vaccine order as late as in January, 2021 and that too for a minuscule 1.1 crore doses. Not solely this, our authorities exported 6 crore vaccines between January 2021 to March 2021, whereas vaccinating lower than 4 crore of its personal residents throughout this era. It delayed approvals and adopted an excessively centralised method.
Under the brand new vaccination coverage, our personal residents pays greater than the worth of export of vaccine from India to different international locations. How can this be justified? How can differential pricing be accepted? Government of India ought to have borne the price of your entire vaccination and supplied it free to all residents. This would have been the right approach ahead as a substitute of making two teams of individuals and discriminating with the younger within the age group of 18 to 45 years for goal of vaccination and disowning full accountability for vaccinating them.
Do you will have particular recommendations that may be labored on instantly?
First, the federal government ought to crack down on black marketeering of important medication, oxygen and different requirements created by the pandemic and guarantee provide of life saving medicines at mounted charges.
Second, guarantee oxygen provide to each hospital by way of seamless logistics. Involve the business as a accomplice and make optimum use of Disaster Management Authority for deliverables.
Third, create new and ample hospital infrastructure on a struggle footing by way of a partnership between authorities and the personal sector. Ramp up testing and tracing massively.
Fourth, financially incentivize our docs, nurses, paramedical workers, frontline medical staff and different frontline Corona warriors tackling the illness.
Fifth, present protected transportation of migrant labour from cities by particular trains and different means. Ramp up MGNREGA work throughout the nation in order that these returning house and people with out livelihoods have entry to fundamental revenue.
Sixth, allocate Rs 6,000 per household revenue help with none delay.
Finally, divert funds from wasteful and pointless tasks just like the Central Vista. This will not be the time for vainness or pointless tasks. The sources freed are extra urgently wanted to do all that I’ve enumerated above.
Isn’t there a necessity for a political consensus?
A political consensus is crucial. We should convey collectively all stakeholders to struggle a calamity just like the one we face. Unfortunately, the Modi authorities has repeatedly demonstrated that it prefers coercion to consensus. The Congress celebration has many years of expertise. It has managed many pure disasters. Its information and experience might be of immense worth to the federal government. I really imagine that difficult occasions warrant the political management to rise above our political variations. We have accomplished so previously many occasions. As a rustic and as a democracy, India has all the time come collectively in disaster.
The Covid curve in India began rising once more in mid-February. The Congress, too, like different events, held rallies, road nook conferences and highway reveals all through March in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal. Didn’t this ship out the mistaken sign?
You are proper, and to be sincere, I actually questioned the correctness of an elaborate political marketing campaign in the course of the pandemic. I had observed that whereas these on the stage have been pretty protected with masks and a few semblance of distance between one another, the crowds have been largely not sporting masks and really carefully packed.
In truth, I spoke to a few of my colleagues relating to holding massive rallies as soon as the numbers began rising considerably. Unfortunately, although not a single one disagreed, there was stress to proceed just because we couldn’t cease unilaterally. The institutional mechanism just like the Election Commission was oblivious to issuing any instructions or pointers, which was its important accountability. They simply seemed the opposite approach. At least our celebration withdrew in some unspecified time in the future though it could not have been sufficient.
