New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) blamed the government on Thursday for ‘erring’ on coronavirus testing and demanded more COVID-19 examinations even as it sought setting up of a task force comprising global experts for measures to revive the country’s economy.
At a meeting of the CWC, the highest decision-making body of the Congress, held through video-conferencing, it was also suggested that the government immediately come up with ‘financial action plan 2’ to help those affected due to the ongoing 21-day countrywide lockdown.
Suggesting various measures, the CWC said the government should focus on containment of coronavirus by extensive testing, medical treatment to the infected people and substantial enhancement of the capacity, infrastructure and human resources to fight the epidemic.
It said the government should focus on livelihood support to the poor, especially daily wage earners, migrant workers, casual and temporary workers, laid-off workers, self-employed people, farmers, tenant farmers and landless agricultural workers. Besides, it said the government must ensure maintenance of supply of goods and services.
The CWC also called upon the government to take steps to re-start the engines of economic growth. It also called for making adequate and comprehensive preparations for immediate harvesting and procurement of wheat and other rabi crops at the minimum support price.
“The CWC is of the opinion that the government has not given any thought whatsoever to the deteriorating economic situation. This does not brook any delay,” the party said. “The CWC demands that the government should immediately appoint an Task Force consisting of world renowned economists to suggest three plans: an emergency plan within one week; a short to medium term plan within one month; and a medium to long term plan within three months in order to protect and revive the economy,” a statement read out by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal said.
AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “On containment and treatment, the government has erred in adopting a strategy of limited testing. A lockdown or any other kind of restriction is futile unless it is accompanied by extensive testing. The flawed strategy must be revised and testing must be scaled up urgently.
Surjewala said the CWC came to the conclusion that the government had ‘miserably failed to provide adequate livelihood support to the poor’ as its financial ‘action plan 1 was miserly, hopelessly inadequate and left out several vulnerable sections’.
“Financial Action Plan I failed to instill confidence in the poor and, as a result, we witnessed the tragic spectacle of thousands of migrant workers desperately trying to go back to their villages by any means whatsoever, including on foot. That spectacle will forever remain a blot on the Modi government,” Surjewalal stated.
“The CWC demands that the government should immediately announce Financial Action Plan II that will reassure the poor people and also provide adequate financial support to the sections that were left out,” he added.
The Congress also said the onus was on the Centre to gear up procurement through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other agencies and ensure remunerative prices for farmers. If people had to survive during a lockdown, the supply chains must immediately be restored and maintained throughout the period of restrictions, the CWC said. It also called for cutting the GST rates for three months on goods of mass consumption, mandatorily postponing tax-payment deadlines and EMI dates to June 30 and beyond.
Meanwhile the BJP accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi of playing ‘petty politics’ over the Union government’s efforts to combat the coronavirus. Top BJP leaders asked Thursday the opposition party to play a responsible role and put up a united front against the pandemic.
BJP president J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad were among the senior leaders of the ruling party to hit out at the Congress, with Shah asking it to think of national interest and stop ‘misleading’ the people.
India’s efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the virus is being praised world over, they said, asserting that he is taking everyone, including all states, along in this fight.
“Under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, India’s efforts to fight the coronavirus are being lauded domestically and globally. One hundred and 30 crore Indians are united to defeat COVID-19. Yet, the Congress is playing petty politics. High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people,” Amit Shah said in a statement. “When will the Congress put national interest above its selfish politics,” Shah asked.
The Congress president (Sonia Gandhi), Nadda said, is being ‘insensitive and indecent’ in her comments.
“The entire country is today fighting against COVID-19 unitedly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At such a time, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s statement is insensitive and indecent. This is not the time for politics but to serve the nation unitedly,” Nadda said.
Javadekar meanwhile said the need of the hour for everyone is to join hands and to take on the pandemic unitedly. There will be time for politics after the coronavirus is defeated, this should not be done now, he told reporters.
PTI