Terming the deaths due to COVID-19 as “murders due to political irresponsibility” by the ruling BJP, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged Congress legislators to be with people in this time of crisis to ensure availability of hospital beds, ambulance services, medicines and oxygen to people in their respective constituencies.
In a letter to the legislators, he appealed to them to ensure supply of food to the needy similar to the efforts that were made during the lockdown last year.
He pointed out that both the Centre and State, ruled by the BJP, ignored the warnings of the experts, who predicted the second wave in the months of February and March. “However, BJP leaders thrashed these suggestions and by November they started claiming that the battle against COVID-19 was over. Testing had been reduced and test results have been delayed.” He said that the situation had become so distressing now that even last rites cannot be done honourably, and livelihood of small businessmen is being snatched away without warning due to the imposition of curfew. Despite the crisis, the government has reduced PDS rice distribution to BPL families by 2 kg, and increased the cost of fertilizers.
DKS condemns ‘forcible closure’
Meanwhile, criticising the government for imposing lockdown-like curfew due to closure of non-essential businesses, KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar on Friday told presspersons that the curfew is condemnable. “The government has failed, but we are cooperating with the government by being humane. Despite our promise to cooperate, forcible closure is not acceptable. The government has to work. We will fight the government politically.” The supply of oxygen has not stabilised, and medicines are still sold in the black market, he added.
