New Delhi: The opposition meet convened by
Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi has begun to take stock on the Covid-19
situation and the migrant crisis. Sonia Gandhi in her opening remarks said that
spirit of federalism has been forgotten. "The government has also abandoned any
pretence of being a democratic government. All power is now concentrated in one
office, the PMO. The spirit of federalism which is an integral part of our
Constitution is all but forgotten. There is no indication either if the two
Houses of Parliament or the Standing Committees will be summoned to meet." She
said the opposition offered full support to the government. Even when the
lockdown was imposed on March 24, with barely 4 hours' notice, everyone
supported the decision despite its suddenness and obvious unpreparedness of the
government.
"The initial optimism of the Prime Minister that the war against the virus would conclude in 21 days has turned out to be misplaced," said Sonia Gandhi. She said it seems that the virus is here to stay until a vaccine is found and government was uncertain about the criteria for lockdown nor does it have an exit strategy. Successive lockdowns have yielded diminishing returns.
The government also stumbled badly on the testing strategy and the import of test kits. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to take its toll. The economy has been gravely crippled. Every economist of repute had advised an immediate need for a massive fiscal stimulus, she said. She said the Prime Minister's announcement on May 12 of a grand Rs 20 lakh crore package — and the Finance Minister spelling out its details over the next five days, have turned out to be a cruel joke on the country. The interim president of the Congress said that government should give cash transfers to vulnerable. (IANS)
Also watch: Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Naba Doley briefing