Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday warned the Government of an imminent third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and urged the Centre to prepare for it. But not before hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, he charged, was busy with West Bengal polls when many died due to lack of oxygen.
“The whole country knows that a third wave will strike,” Rahul said at a virtual Press conference during which he also released a “white paper” on the pandemic.
Rahul said the aim of this white paper on Covid-19 is not finger-pointing at the government but to help the nation prepare for the third wave of infection.
However, he criticised Modi for conducting election rallies for Assembly polls amid the second wave of coronavirus.
“In the second wave, many died needless deaths. We couldn’t provide them oxygen cylinders. Prime Minister’s tears cannot wipe the tears of families who lost family members. His tears cannot save them, oxygen can. But he did not take it seriously as his focus was on Bengal,” Rahul said.
He also said that the government’s management of the first two waves of the pandemic was “disastrous”, adding that his intention was to provide the government “information and insights on what went wrong”.
The Congress MP suggested the ramping up of health infrastructure in the country as the Government was “not ready” during the first two waves of the pandemic.