Sonia for all-party meet, says govt failed people

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 7

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said the system had not failed, but the Modi government failed the people of the country and demanded that an all-party meeting be convened immediately on the Covid situation.

Unexpected: Congress chief on party’s debacle

• In her first meeting with MPs since Congress’ electoral setbacks in four states recently, party president Sonia Gandhi said the losses were unexpected and an honest analysis was in order. The Congress Working Committee is expected to meet on Monday to introspect over the defeats.
• Dedicating a short portion of her opening address to Congress MPs to the party’s election debacle, Sonia congratulated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin for leading the DMK-Congress alliance to victory in Tamil Nadu and the Left for their win in Kerala. The Congress chief added that the CWC would meet shortly to review results.

Poor will suffer

The government has allowed differential pricing for vaccines. The inequitable policy will exclude millions of poor. — Sonia Gandhi, Congress President

Addressing party MPs virtually, Sonia said the Congress believed in Covid response being not a “government versus us” battle but an “us versus virus” battle.

“This battle transcends political differences. In that spirit as a first step, I believe that the Modi government must urgently call an all-party meeting on Covid. The Congress also demands that standing committees must be convened to ensure collective action and accountability to combat the pandemic better,” she said.

Sonia said, “The government has allowed differential pricing for vaccines. The inequitable policy will exclude millions of poor and marginalised.”

She questioned crores being spent on non-essential projects (read Central Vista) and attacked BJP governments for “arresting people merely for crying out for help”. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to the PM, saying the Centre’s “failures” had made another devastating national lockdown almost inevitable.

“To prevent a repeat of the immense sufferings caused by last year’s lockdown, the government must act with compassion and provide critical financial and food support to the most vulnerable people,” he said, demanding a transportation strategy for those who will require it.