Cong moves privilege motion against MoS on ‘O2-linked’ deaths

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday moved a breach of privilege motion against the minister of state for health Bharati Pravin Pawar for allegedly misleading Parliament over deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She told Parliament on Tuesday that no state reported such fatalities and triggered a war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition parties.

Her submission brought back the focus on a crisis that in part defined the devastation of the second wave. HT on Thursday cited a database of media reports from the time and reported it has identified at least 619 deaths that likely occurred because of lack of oxygen. Many more deaths may have taken place outside of inundated hospitals.

Congress accused Pawar of distorting facts with the “intention to mislead and deceive the August House” over the actual number of death due to lack of oxygen during the second wave.

“This amounts to a breach of privilege and contempt of the House and the minister is guilty of contempt,” said Congress lawmaker K C Venugopal said. Pawar made the submission in response to Venugopal’s question in Rajya Sabha.

Venugopal said everyone saw how people died due to a shortage of oxygen including in the national capital. In a letter to Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu, Venugopal cited examples of deaths reported due to oxygen shortage. He referred to a newspaper report and added between May 11 and 15, 83 deaths due to acute oxygen shortage were reported at the Goa Medical College. He also cited similar instances in places such as Karnataka and Haryana, where the government ordered an investigation into at least 19 deaths due to oxygen shortage between April 5 and May 1.

The BJP has maintained health is a state subject and that it just collects the data, and it does not generate it.

According to Parliamentary rules, if individuals or authority violate or disregard any of the privileges, powers and immunities of the House or members or committees thereof, they are liable for punishment for breach of privilege or contempt of the House. The House has the power to determine what constitutes the breach of privilege and contempt.