Opposition parties slams Modi COVID crisis, urge to act to save country

NEW Delhi Twelve major Indian opposition parties have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate measures against a ferocious second wave of COVID-19 ripping through the country, leaving hundreds of thousands dead.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Indian National Congress attacked Modi, alleging “he was missing” amid the acute shortages of vaccines, medical oxygen and medicines faced by the country.

Terming it an “apocalyptic human tragedy,” opposition leaders in a letter to Modi late on Wednesday listed nine demands, including a free vaccination campaign, free grain for the poor, unemployment doles and the repeal of controversial farm laws.

They also asked Modi to force a pause in a multibilliondollar makeover project for New Delhi and divert the funds to buy oxygen and vaccines for the sick.

Thomas Isaac, a minister from communist-ruled Kerala state, demanded Modi respond to the letter. “It is a national emergency. PM cannot continue with ostrich-like policy. Open a dialogue on what is to be done,” he said on Twitter.

Anger about the mishandling of the pandemic, which has seen the country’s health care systems and inoculation campaign crumble, has put Modi’s government under growing pressure in recent days.

The leader has been blamed for an ineffective response that left the responsibility for fighting the pandemic to poorly equipped state governments.

India added 362,727 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking its total caseload to 23.7 million, second only to the United States.

The death count rose to 258,317, with 4,120 new deaths, making it among the deadliest days so far.

The opposition said it had “repeatedly in the past” drawn Modi’s attention to measures they thought were “absolutely imperative” to implement.

“Unfortunately, your government has either ignored or refused all these suggestions. This only compounded the situation to reach such an apocalyptic human tragedy,” they wrote.