CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday raised a slew of questions on the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis and said there was a need for "clear and honest' information from the Centre on COVID-19 spread.
The Union Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 32 and the number of total positive cases to 1,251 as on Monday 9.30 pm, up from 1,024 positive cases and 27 deaths as on Sunday evening. While there are more than 1,100 active cases, nearly 100 have been cured.
"First, we need clear and honest information from the central government on COVID-19 virus. The attempt to divert & obstruct genuine queries is akin to playing with the lives of millions of Indians. Why is the health minister and the home minister not leading the briefing every evening?
"Second, we need extensive testing. These restrictive provisions for testing are not helpful at all in assessing the extent of infection, or for initiating robust measures to counter its spread," he said in a series of tweets
Yechury also demanded that accountability be fixed for the unwarranted delays in procurement of protective gear and masks for healthcare providers despite World Health Organization (WHO) warnings.
"Who is responsible for this delay and for playing with the health of the people who need protection the most," he asked.
"PM Modi came to power talking of 'cooperative federalism'. He must listen to state governments and provide them all the support that they need, instead of trying to centralise power. States are best placed to defeat it, with Centre's support," he said.
The CPI(M) general secretary also said that migrant labour who have stayed back need visible and active support from the government and asserted that this support must be provided by the Centre.
"Private charity, while welcome, is not a replacement for government failing to discharge its basic constitutional duty
"Attempts to create social disharmony, tarnish sections, ostracise workers and the vulnerable by communal, casteist & sectarian forces must be resisted. If not, India's health and humanitarian crisis -with Centres knee-jerk responses - will only worsen the situation," he said.
He also questioned the need for a separate fund -- PM CARES -- when a PM National Relief Fund already existed.
"There is no clarity about the new fund, which raises questions about this collection. We can't forget that this govt brought opaque electoral bonds and collected 1000s of crores anonymously," he said.
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