PM, CMs not in favour of lifting lockdown entirely
FEDERAL Modi assures chief ministers of greater autonomy in vital decisions; states seek aid
NEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that states will have greater say in determining the extent of restrictions and relaxations after May 17, within a broad national framework while underlining that India faced two challenges— reducing the transmission rate of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and resuming public activity gradually. He also emphasised that social distancing remains the “biggest weapon” against the virus till a vaccine is found, and suggested that the lockdown may not be lifted entirely.
In his fifth interaction with chief ministers on the pandemic, according to participants at the meeting, PM Modi said India now had a good sense of the spread of the disease; urged states to carefully examine specific geographical areas to come up with a road map for the next phase of lockdown; highlighted the importance of green zones in restarting economic activity; underlined that the full resumption of rail travel would not be possible; pointed out that India will have to use technology in imparting education; and, more broadly, spoke about how the pandemic will change the world, just as the world wars did; and the new principle of life would be “jan se lekar jag tak” (from an individual to the whole of humanity).
In the backdrop of migrant workers returning home, Modi also emphasised that this will create challenges at two ends — states from where the migrants have left will have labour shortages, and their home states will have to accommodate them economically while preventing the spread of the disease in rural areas. Over six hours, all chief ministers got an opportunity to speak — on the extension of the lockdown (opinion was divided among the CMs but the majority view was continuing it in containment zones while relaxing it elsewhere); the issue of migrant workers (the dominant concern was the possibility of returning workers spreading the disease); the authority of the states in decision-making (most states sought more autonomy in declaring red, orange and green zones), the resumption of train services (several CMs saw this as an unwise move); and the financial support states now need in the battle against the pandemic. The most stringent criticism of the Centre came from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
Home minister Amit Shah also spoke at the meeting, emphasising the importance of the Aarogya Setu app in tracking the disease. In his welcome remarks, according to an official statement, PM said there was now a clear sense of the geographical spread of the pandemic, including the worst affected areas.
KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at Centre, alleging that the government was trying to gain political mileage at the expense of the state government.
“We are together in this crisis. However, somehow West Bengal has been targeted by the central government to get political mileage,” Banerjee said during an interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief ministers through video conference to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic . She also criticised the Centre for resuming train services and opening airports, wondering what was the point in enforcing a lockdown to contain the disease spread.
“When the Centre has opened almost everything including the opening of land borders, starting trains and opening airports, then what is the point in continuing with further lockdown,” she said. “Besides central government instructions and advisories, central teams have been deputed for supervision and monitoring, which had taken away much of the time of senior officers.”
Banerjee’s comments escalated the verbal duel between her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
“The PM held no meeting with the chief ministers before announcing the lockdown. The centre thought they could handle the situation in 15 days and would then alone take the credit of it all. Meetings with chief ministers are being held before announcing the second- and third-phase lockdown because the situation is not in control. Why didn’t they think of and plan for the migrant workers before announcing the lockdown?” said Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC youth wing chief.
In the evening, BJP leaders targeted the state government.
“Centre is not playing politics. Centre had to intervene because the state was failing its people. The state played hide and seek with data and the real Covid-19 scenario, let the lockdown be easily violated, corrupted the public distribution system and wanted to leave the migrant workers at lurch. The government has failed in most critical aspects – health and home affairs – and both portfolios are held by the chief minister,” BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh said.