Rahul says PM responsible for 2nd wave, BJP says it’s ‘insult’
Rahul says multiple waves to come if no vaccine strategy in place ■ Leader asks Modi to involve others too
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is responsible for the second wave of Covid, adding that the PM is “an event manager”, but in times of crisis we “don’t need an event manager, we need effective administration.” Addressing a virtual press conference, Mr Gandhi said, “The first wave no one understood… but the second wave is the PM’s responsibility. His nautanki (stunts)… His failure to fulfil his responsibilities is the reason for the second wave.”
“Many people and I had been giving non-stop warnings about Covid. But the PM declared victory, saying Covid had been defeated. The problem is that the government and PM didn’t even understand that Corona is an evolving disease. The more you give time and space to the virus, the more dangerous it becomes,” Mr Gandhi said, adding that vaccines are the only permanent solution to Covid.
BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar slammed Mr Gandhi for criticising Mr Modi. He said that the usage of the term “nautanki” by the Congress leader for the PM is “an insult to the PM’s and people’s efforts against the pandemic” and part of the Opposition party’s “toolkit’s script.”
The problem is that the govt and PM didn’t even understand that corona is an evolving disease...
— Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi charged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being responsible for the second wave of Covid and said that the Prime Minister “did not understand Covid at all”.
Addressing a virtual press conference Mr Gandhi attacked the Prime Minister and said, “The first wave no one understood... but the second wave is the PM’s responsibility. His stunts
(nautanki)... His failure to fulfil his responsibilities is the reason for the second wave.”
He also asked the Prime Minister to set up panel that would meet daily and interact with top experts over the issue.
Seeking wider consultation to address the Covid surge, Mr Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to involve others too.
“If (Chhattisgarh CM) Bhupesh Baghel, (West Bengal CM) Mamata Banerjee and Modi are on the same page, coronavirus can be kept out,” he said.
He added, “Many people and I had been giving non-stop warnings against Covid. But the PM declared victory, saying Covid has been defeated. The problem is that the government and Prime Minister didn’t even understand that corona is an evolving disease. The more you give time and space to the virus, the more dangerous it becomes.”
Attacking the Prime Minister on the vaccination strategy, he said vaccines were the only permanent solution to Covid and lockdowns, social distancing and masks were temporary ones.
Mr Gandhi stressed that without a proper vaccination strategy, India would witness multiple waves of infection. India, he said, had vaccinated only three per cent of its population, leaving the rest open to infection.
“I directly told the PM that if India does not sort out its vaccination strategy, there will be multiple waves since the virus adapts. The Prime Minister is the head of the country. He is responsible for its well-being. The buck stops with the Prime Minister. But the Prime Minister lives in a bubble... no one talks to him because of the way he handles things,” he added.