Party workers take the lead on ground
MUMBAI: As the pandemic rages on, young politicians across party lines have kept politics aside to assist those who are battling the Covid-19 wave.
Over the past few weeks, Maharashtra has been hit by a strong Covid-19 wave, leading to shortage of oxygen, hospital beds, anti-viral drug and availability of ambulances in many parts, forcing people to seek assistance on social media platforms. Young politicians from the Shiv Sena, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress have responded to the cry for help, at times in collaboration.
Besides them, political parties too have set up parallel systems to help Covid-19 patients. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have set up jumbo Covid-19 centres in cities such as Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai, facilitated the procurement of oxygen and Remdesivir injections, donated ambulances and put up vaccination centres in various cities.
For Yuva Sena functionary Rahul Kanal, throughout April, the day started at 8am and ended at 4am the next day, as he was flooded with requests for arranging hospital beds, Remdesivir or oxygen cylinders for Covid-19 patients in Mumbai. Kanal said that everyday, they would get around 1,000 requests from people.
“Now as the cases in Mumbai have come down, the requests have reduced. But we still get tagged for Remdesivir and ambulances. Smaller hospitals have issues in getting Remdesivir; those admitted to civic-run facilities do not have to run around for the drug. We guide people to collector’s office and (FDA Food and Drug Administration) to get the injections.”
Kanal added that Yuva Sena has been feeding stray dogs and cats too. “With the lockdown imposed, the strays do not get food. We distribute dog and cat food packets to non-governmental organisation (NGO), which take them to different areas of the city,” he said.
AAP’S national joint secretary Ruben Mascarenhas said he was being tagged for aid on social media. He later decided to set up a helpline with party members and volunteers, as it would not have been possible to help everybody, considering the volume.
“I woke up with about 1,000 requests on social media accounts, which has now come down to about 500, as the cases have reduced. Later, we set up a helpline to keep things organised. We have had 12,000 calls in the past three-four weeks, of which we have helped 40% of the callers. Typically, there are five requests — Remdesivir, oxygen, hospital beds, ambulance and plasma,” he said.
Congress legislator from Bandra (East) Zeeshan Siddique said that he was responding to requests from the hospital bed, as he was admitted for Covid-19 for 15 days.
“I had nothing much to do apart from resting. So I used to divert all the requests I got on Twitter and Instagram DMS (direct messages) to the team,” he said.
Siddique, the state’s youngest legislator, had set up a helpline last year.
“In 2020, we used to get requests, but not as many as these. The second wave has hit hard. In the past one-and-a-half months, the resources have been exhausted,” he said, adding that his social media feed and helpline buzzed the most at night, with requests for ICU (intensive care unit) and ventilator beds.
Even though, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government have streamlined the allotment of hospital beds and distribution of Remdesivir, Siddique and Mascarenhas said they have to follow up with officials for immediate allotment.
“We guide people to BMC war room but again get calls that even after a few hours, the bed has not been allotted,” Mascarenhas said.
The young politicians that are getting tagged for requests are collaborating with each other.
“I tag leaders like (Shiv Sena parliamentarian) Priyanka Chaturvedi, Kanal, Siddique, Jiten Gajaria from BJP in my posts. The idea is to get people help in the least possible time,” Mascarenhas said.
“Right now humanity comes first. Nobody should think twice in seeking help from someone from another party. Ruben, Priyanka Chaturvedi, etc… we are all helping each other to save lives at the moment,” Siddique said.
BJP’S top leaders, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari, leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and state unit chief Chandrakant Patil have put in their efforts in helping strength of the health infrastructure. The party facilitated setting up of three 100-bed Covid-19 hospitals each at Nagpur’s National Cancer Institute, Nelson Hospital and KT Nagar. They also set up a Covid care centre at Koldongari in Andheri, among others, and procured 78 metric tonnes of oxygen for Nagpur from a private company.
BJP’S attempt to procure the stock of 60,000 vials of Remdesivir from a Daman-based pharma company had mired in controversy after the company’s director was summoned by Mumbai Police for questioning over stockpiling suspicions.
Similar controversy erupted after Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, BJP parliamentarian from Ahmednagar, had procured Remdesivir vials directly and distributed them in his constituency. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court has slammed him for his “surreptitious and illegal” procurement using a chartered flight. The court has ordered the police for action. Vikhe-patil said that he did so to save lives and was ready to face action.
Meanwhile, the state Congress unit will donate ₹2 crore to chief minister’s (CM) relief fund to facilitate the expenses for vaccination of citizens in Maharashtra free of cost. Congress legislative party chief and revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat announced that 53 party legislators from both the houses will donate their one-month salary to the fund. He also announced that he would donate his oneyear salary and the amount for vaccinating 5,000 employees in the group of companies he heads to the fund.
The party has also asked all its workers till gram panchayat level to adopt families in their villages for vaccination.
“Party leaders and workers will donate the expenditure of vaccination of their family as well as of those adopted by them to the CM’S relief fund. The workers will also ensure that the families adopted are taken to the vaccine facilities, monitored for side-effect and for their second doses. This will help us expedite the drive and complete it in due time,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.
Another Congress leader said that six executive presidents, district in-charge leaders, district presidents, tehsil presidents have been given responsibility to monitor the drive in villages.
“Workers who are not in a position to pay for vaccine doses will help in taking beneficiaries to the centres and ensuring that they get their shots in time. The donation towards the vaccination shots is to be deposited to tehsildars at tehsil level,” the leader said.