Sonia asks PM to call all-party meet on Covid

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi, lashing out at the Narendra Modi government while addressing a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on Friday, said: “I say this categorically -- India is crippled by a political leadership today that has no empathy for people. The Modi government has failed the people of our country.” Mrs Gandhi said the government must urgently call an all-party meeting on the Covid-19 situation in India and added: “The Modi government has abdicated its fundamental responsibilities and duties towards the people, the Centre has ignored warnings and alerts from the EGOM, National Task Force and the parliamentary panel.”

Mrs Gandhi termed the Congress’ losses in the recent Assembly polls as “very disappointing”. Adding that the Congress Working Committee will meet soon to review the Assembly poll results. “Most unfortunately, our own performance in all the states was very disappointing and if I may say, unexpectedly so,” she said while concluding her speech. “The CWC is meeting shortly to review the results but it goes without saying that we as a party collective must draw the appropriate lessons from this setback in a spirit of humility and honesty,” she added. The virtual parliamentary meeting was attended by its MPs and senior office-bearers.

The Congress has been repeatedly attacking the government for the last couple of weeks over its “mismanagement” of the Covid-19 crisis, which has been spiralling in the country, with a serious lack of medicines, oxygen, cylinders, hospital beds, ventilators and vaccines. Referring to the letters written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Dr Manmohan Singh, the former PM, and by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president said all these helpful initiatives had fallen on deaf ears as the government has made no meaningful response and continues to behave as if it alone has all the answers. Mrs Sonia Gandhi also demanded that meetings of the standing committees be held immediately: “The situation brooks no delay. Tackling this crisis requires able, calm and visionary leadership. The nation is sinking under the weight of the Modi government’s indifference and incompetence. This is a time for us to steel ourselves and rededicate ourselves in the service of our people.”

Hitting out at the Central Vista redevelopment project in New Delhi, she said the Modi government allocated thousands of crores for non-essential projects that have nothing to do with the people’s well-being. She was also critical of the government’s vaccination policy and said: “The Modi government’s inequitable vaccination policy will exclude millions of dalits, adivasis, other backward classes, as well as the poor and the marginalised.”