The CPI(M) Politburo meeting on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Naredra Modi for declaring lockdown “abruptly” in an unplanned way. The politburo which first time convened through video conferencing also said that the 20 lakh crore financial package is just a re-packaging of the existing schemes and essentially a loan providing activity and no bearing on Government’s expenditure to help the people.
“In contrast, the central Government has now virtually left the Indian people to fend for themselves in combatting the pandemic. PM Modi, having declared an unplanned, unilateral, abrupt lockdown, has neither used the period of sixty three days (before easing restrictions) for either augmenting the health facilities required to combat the pandemic nor in providing relief to the people who have been agonized cruelly by not getting any time to prepare to meet the consequences of the lockdown. Having unilaterally declared, without consulting the state governments, the central Government is now shifting the burden of bearing the consequences of the lockdown, particularly the humungous humanitarian issue of crores of migrant workers with their families moving across the country on to the shoulders of the State Governments. Modi refuses to part with the thousands of crores of rupees he is collecting in a private trust fund under the PM’s name, to the states,” said polit bureau in statement.
The CPI (M) polit bureau also criticised the BJP Governments for implementing harsh Acts like UAPA, NSA during the lockdown period to target those who oppose them, especially people from Muslim community.