CWC attacks Centre’s handling of pandemic, oil prices, border issue with China

A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), held here on Tuesday through video conferencing, attacked the Centre on three issues— management of Covid-19 pandemic, hike in duties on petroleum products at the time of a pandemic and the handling of the situation along China border.

The CWC said in a resolution that after more than four months into the pandemic, it is astonishing that the Narendra Modi government has not unveiled a coherent strategy on reducing fatalities, increasing testing, contact tracing and ensuring social distancing and safety for the most vulnerable population. “There is no nationwide data on available hospital beds and ventilators and no clarity on future capacity planning. There is absolutely no sense of urgency or a credible plan to expand our beleaguered health workforce with quick recruitment of young doctors, nurses and other health workers. Our citizens need a health workforce to deliver public health and healthcare services effectively and expeditiously,” it said.

On the situation in Ladakh, the CWC hoped that the Prime Minister will uphold his promise that the sacrifice of our brave soldiers will not go in vain. “Congress Party remains firmly committed to building a strong national consensus to defend India’s national interest and defeat the nefarious designs and agenda of China,” the resolution read.

The CWC reminded the Centre of its Raj Dharma . “No Government should levy and impose such unacceptable strain on its people at a time when the economic impact of a global pandemic is devastating businesses, rapidly eroding the incomes and savings of the middle class, and farmers are struggling to sow the crop for the kharif season. If the Government does not alter the course on this ill-advised trajectory then it will have the ruinous consequence of pushing many middle-income households to the margins of poverty and pushing the poor to total economic ruin,” the third resolution said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi blamed the Centre for the present circumstances and said ‘misfortunes do not come singly’. She said India has been hit by a terrible economic crisis, a pandemic of huge proportions, and now, by a full-blown crisis on the borders with China. “Much of each crisis is attributable to the mismanagement of the BJP-led NDA government and the wrong policies pursued by it. The cumulative effect is widespread misery, fear, and danger to the security and territorial integrity of the country,” Gandhi said in her opening remarks.

She said the Modi government refuses to listen to good advice. “The need of the hour is a massive fiscal stimulus, putting money directly in the hands of the poor, protecting and nurturing the MSMEs, and stimulating demand. Instead, the government announced a hollow financial package that had a fiscal component of less than 1 per cent of GDP. The government has added insult to injury by mercilessly raising petrol and diesel prices for 17 consecutive days, at a time when world prices of crude have fallen. The result is that a sliding economy is now hurtling toward a recession for the first time in 42 years,” the UPA Chairperson said.

She warned against high unemployment, falling incomes and wages, and lower investment. “Recovery is likely to take a long time, and that too only if the government corrects its course and adopts sound economic policies,” she said.

Senior leader Rahul Gandhi said Modi destroyed India’s position and betrayed Indian Army by accepting Chinese position that they occupied no Indian land. “The Chinese can’t be permitted to get away with this unacceptable usurpation of our land. Everything needs to be done to ensure that sacrifice of our martyrs is not in vain,” he said

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