Vijayan hits out at claims of ‘fudged’ virus figures
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday said those who making such baseless allegations should realise that the state is not on the list of those which have fudged figures.
Vijayan’s comment came in response to allegations from Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, the sole Keralite in the Narendra Modi ministry, that Kerala was hiding actual coronavirus figures.
“Those who raise baseless allegations should realise that these figures cannot be fudged. If the figures are hidden then people who do not go for treatment will eventually die.
“Kerala is not on the list of states which have fudged their figures,” the chief minister insisted.
Muraleedharan had earlier in the day said the Kerala government was first “when it came to withholding information and telling lies”.
Vijayan added: “What no one should forget is the mortality rate in the state is 0.5%, while the national average is 2.89%.
“The Centre has acknowledged that Kerala is the first state in the country to have the least number in primary spread. Even the ICMR has applauded our efforts.”
As on date, the state has 526 positive cases, with 84 cases registered yesterday — the largest number of cases on a single day so far.
Meanwhile, hitting out at the Vijayan-led Left government, two-time former chief minister Oommen Chandy yesterday said that while government extravagance continues, it had no money to provide free Covid quarantine to beleaguered diaspora returnees. In an article on the occasion of the Vijayan government completing four years in office, Chandy said public money was being used for preparing publicity material. This has cost the state exchequer Rs25mn, Chandy claimed.
The publicity material, printed at three firms, will be distributed to the people and will highlight the government’s achievements, Chandy said.
“Vijayan has said what they planned to do in five years they have been able to do in four years. This means the people of Kerala need not expect anything in the fifth year of his governance,” the former chief minister said.
“Vijayan is launching his election campaign using public money,” Chandy claimed.
Vijayan initially promised free quarantine for all returning diaspora. However, after around 8,000 diaspora returnees were put under free institutional quarantine, the chief minister backtracked and said there will be no more free service.
After massive protests, on Wednesday Vijayan said he was ‘misquoted’ and added that a fresh order will be issued which will provide free quarantine for the poor and needy among the diaspora returnees.
Chandy also pointed to failed promises made in the election manifesto. “We had envisioned the opening of 16 medical colleges in the state. Of these, some were even opened. However, what the Vijayan government did was to shut them and today they claim the health scenario in the state is upwardly mobile,” Chandy said.
He also gave a comparison of his and Vijayan’s tenure, which showed that the latter was able to only take forward projects the former government had initiated.