Sonia slams Modi govt for spreading 'communal virus'.

Byline: Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI -- In a sharp criticism of the Modi government on Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that every Indian should be worried about the 'virus of communal hatred' that the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is spreading, even as the country is staring at large-scale economic losses because of the nationwide lockdown to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) video-conference meeting, she said that despite the fact that coronavirus has spread alarmingly fast in the last three weeks, the central government has acted 'only partially and in a miserly way' on the suggestions that health experts and opposition members have given.

She added that the Modi government has also failed to show 'compassion and alacrity' at a time when so many people have been severely impacted by the lockdown.

'Let me also share with you something that should worry each and every one us Indians. When we should be tackling the coronavirus, the BJP continues to spread the virus of communal prejudice and hatred. Grave damage is being done to our social harmony. Our party, we will have to work hard to repair that damage,' the Congress president said.

Accuses Indian government of acting 'only partially and in a miserly way' to contain Covid-19

She said that she had offered constructive cooperation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and in various letters suggested steps to be taken to mitigate the sufferings of working people. 'Unfortunately, they have been acted upon only partially and in a miserly way. The compassion, large-heartedness and alacrity that should be forthcoming from the Central government is conspicuous by its absence,' she said.

She then went on to speak about the distress 'our kisans and khet mazdoors, migrant labour, construction workers, and workers in the unorganised sector', facing at a time when trade, commerce and industry has come to a halt.

'The Central government does not appear to have a clear idea on how the situation will be managed after May 3. A lockdown of the present nature after that date would be even more devastating,' she observed, as she lashed out against the Centre for failing to conduct mass testing and provide protection gear to frontline health workers.

She said that even as testing remained low, there was still a short supply of testing kits and safety gear for health workers were insufficient or of very poor quality.

She also spoke...