Asserting that India should not be bogged down by threats, the Congress on Wednesday said that the government's first responsibility was towards the citizens and there should be adequate availability of personal protective equipment and medicines in the fight against COVID-19.
The party's comments came after India lifted the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug being used to treat COVID-19, soon after US President Donald Trump spoke of "retaliation" if India did not supply the drug to the US which is battling the coronavirus.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera told mediapersons here that the Opposition will stand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in decisions taken for the benefit of 130 crore citizens of the country and "everything else comes later".
He said US President Donald Trump had "threatened" India asking the country to lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine and India "lifted the ban".
"Donald Trump threatens India asking it to lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine and immediately India lifts the ban. Whether Donald Trump passed the test in this hour of crisis or not, is not our business to comment on. Whether we should have immediately buckled under pressure is something on which history is also watching us," Khera said.
"We should not get bogged down by threats. We should not forget our responsibility towards 130 crore Indian citizens, whether we are exporting 90 tonnes of relief material of PPE kits to Serbia despite a ban on export, whether we agree to lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine. Our first responsibility is towards India, India is first, and everything is later, that is one lesson we need to remind our Prime Minister in this hour of crisis," he added.
Khera said India understands its role and responsibility as a member of the larger global community.
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"We have never failed in our duty as a member of that comity of nations but there is a way," he said.
He referred to Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro writing a "very touching, a very moving letter to our government requesting for hydroxychloroquine quoting the Ramayana, quoting our scriptures".
"There is a way, there is a way of international relations," Khera said.
The Congress spokesperson referred to a tale of a proud horse owner, telling the thief who stole his horse in disguise of a needy, to not narrate the incident lest people should stop helping those in need.
"We come from that culture. I can understand Donald Trump not appreciating these finer aspects of our culture. I can understand that he is not aware of our culture, but, we are aware of our culture, our Prime Minister is aware of our culture," Khera said.
He said when India was threatened by "Britain and US" during the Bangladesh liberation war, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi "put them in their place".
"She asked them not to interfere in the internal matters of India. We expect our Prime Minister to learn from our own traditions, to learn from our own history. We stand with the government in this hour of crisis, we will not fail that test. We stand by you, Mr. Prime Minister, but do not forget our first responsibility as government, as the Opposition party is towards 130 crore Indians, everything else comes later," he said.
He said any challenge brings a moment of test for every member of the society, the country, the family "where friends get tested, enemies get tested, the ruler gets tested".
"COVID-19 is one such moment in the history of the country and the world where everybody is going through a test," he said, adding that 130 crore Indian citizens have passed every test.
Trump had on Monday hinted at a possible retaliation if India does not lift its hold on the export of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug used in the treatment of coronavirus patients.
He had said that India does very well with the US and he sees no reason why India would not lift the hold on the US order of the medicine.
The government on Wednesday assured that there will be no shortage of hydroxychloroquine in the country.
"It has been ensured that not only today, even in the future, there will not be any lack of HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) as and when needed," Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said at a press briefing.
The government on Tuesday said it has placed hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol under the licensed category for exports. The DGFT had also notified lifting restrictions on 14 drugs.
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