The Congress on Friday asked if providing oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs to COVID-19 patients is a “crime” under the Narendra Modi government.
This follows the questioning of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) chief B V Srinivas by the crime branch of the Delhi Police.
“Today every person has to decide if providing oxygen, helping people to get life-saving drugs like Remdesivir, arranging beds or providing food to ambulance drivers is a crime. It seems to be a crime according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
“Today, Modi ji and [Home Minister] Amit Shah Ji sent Delhi Police to the office of the IYC office to question Srinivas ji. Can there be a more despicable act than this? Is it a sin committed by the Youth Congress and the Congress to provide help that the Modi government has been unable to do?, he stated.
The government should be “ashamed” of itself, he said. He asserted that the Youth Congress would continue to provide oxygen and other life-saving drugs to needy COVID-19 patients.
“They [Delhi Police officials] wanted to know the details of how are we helping people. We answered all their questions,” Mr. Srinivas said.
Rahul’s tweet
Using hash tag #IStandWithIYC to express solidarity, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “The one who saves is always greater than the one who destroys”.
While former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh tweeted to call the Delhi Police’s move as ‘atrocious’, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too reacted on twitter when former Rajya Sabha member Shahid Siddiqui infomred that a police official had also come to his place to find how Ms. Vadra mananged to help him with Remdesivir injections for his wife.
“If helping someone in need is now a crime, I will commit it again and again. To my mind it’s a far greater crime to silently watch and do nothing while people die desperately searching for medicine and gasping for air,” Ms. Vadra said, lending her support to the IYC.
At an online press conference, All India Congress Committee in charge of Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil said Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Anil Chaudhary and former MLA Mukesh Sharma also received notice for such questioning.
Police clarification
A Delhi Police official claimed that the questioning followed a direction from the Delhi High Court on a writ petition filed by Dr. Deepak Singh about politicians involved in illegal distribution of COVID-19 medicines, etc
Several persons, including ruling Aam Admi Party lawmaker Dilip Pandey, would also be questioned, he added.
Mr. Surjewala said the explanation by the police is “an after thought after getting exposed”.
