The BJP and the Congress party in Chhattisgarh were locked in a war of words over Covid-19 on Sunday, with the opposition party accusing the government of failing to tackle the pandemic while the Congress insisting that the virus is under control.
BJP state President Vishnudeo Sai said in a statement that the Chief Minister’s emergency meeting convened on Saturday evening to discuss the status of Covid-19 was an eyewash. The government's laxity has led to the sharp increase in Covid cases in Chhattisgarh, he said.
It is only now that the state government has cleared the appointment of lab technicians and Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) against the vacant posts, Sai said. It could have been done in December itself.
The BJP leader said the opposition party had been warning the state government on the status of migrant workers, quarantine centres and other failures. But the Congress government ignored the warnings. It was more interested in blaming the lack of funds from the Central government.
Countering the BJP, Congress spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur said Chhattisgarh is placed in a better position when compared to other BJP-ruled states in the country vis-a-vis Covid-19.
The pandemic in the state is under control, he said.
He added that during the earlier 15 years of BJP rule, hospital buildings were built but the required number of doctors and paramedical staff were not recruited. Now, the Bhupesh Baghel government is involved in bringing the hospitals on track.
BJP MLAs and MPs, Thakur added, instead of extending cooperation to the state government were involved in hurling allegations.