BJP seeking to inflame communal divisions: Congress

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) The Congress Working Committee, which met here on Thursday for the second time after the lockdown began, slammed the BJP for fanning communal divisions. It discussed a four-point plan and demanded that the government formulate an exit strategy for the lockdown.

The CWC, the party’s highest decision making body, discussed Containment and Treatment; Livelihood Support; Maintenance of Supplies; and Economic Revival.

“CWC notes with concern that the BJP is seeking to inflame communal divisions even as the entire nation battles Covid-19. The virus does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, religion or gender,” said the CWC resolution.

The Congress said that the fight must be bottom-up instead of top-down, and the government only has a one size fits all policy currently. States should be given adequate financial support starting with releasing their full share of the GST collected so far and allowing them greater fiscal space to borrow.

Providing free cooked food to millions of families every day through NGOs, though laudable, is not a solution even in normal times. The party demanded Rs 7,500 through direct benefit transfer to every poor family and 10 kg of food grain (rice or wheat) and 1 kg of pulses and sugar to every individual.

The CWC said migrant workers who wish to return to their home may be allowed to travel under strict conditions of health safety, and be provided with adequate money and food in the interim; they should also be allowed to return to work post the lockdown and compensation should be paid to the families of those migrant workers who have lost their lives in this period of crisis, said the resolution.

“The CWC questioned the Economic Task Force announced by the Prime Minister a month ago which has not yet presented a plan to the Government and demanded complete loan moratorium on agricultural and other loans for a period of at least one year along with complete interest subvention.

“Testing, Tracing, Quarantine and Treatment are crucial to containing the disease.” said the Congress.

The party welcomed the ordinance to protect doctors and other medical personnel from violence.

–IANS

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