Cong flays govt, seeks financial package for poor

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Slamming the government for ill-preparedness to tackle the coronavirus spread, the Congress on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the people what they should do, but didn’t say what the government would do to contain the pandemic.

It also demanded a financial package for the poor.

“We know the Prime Minister may announce a financial package, and we hope it will not be for his capitalist friends but for the poor, daily wagers and people who have lost their jobs,” Senior Congress spokesman Ajay Maken tweeted.

Criticising the government for not conducting enough coronavirus tests — India ranked below even Pakistan as only one test per 100,000 is being conducted — it asked for more tests to contain the spread.

The Congress-ruled Punjab has imposed curfew, and Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have announced complete lockdown.

The party also slammed the government for not responding to former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s call who raised the first alarm on February 12 through his tweets. The government was caught off guard, it added.

Rahul Gandhi had also raised the issue of export of masks and ventilators till March 19. The Congress later demanded sacking of the Commerce Minister over it.

Rahul Gandhi had tweeted in Hindi: “Respected Prime Minister on the advice of the WHO the government was advised to keep stock of ventiltors and masks. But the opposite had happened and these items were exported. On whose behest this was done?”

–IANS

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