Expressing concern over the State witnessing fresh COVID-19 cases in upwards of 40,000 a day, the former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has appealed to the Government not to be complacent with respect to the present way of the pandemic.
He described the episode of the States’s daily COVID cases crossing the 40,000 mark on Tuesday as a warning bell for the Government.
He expressed concern that there was no consensus among the ruling BJP leaders themselves on the COVID-19 precautionary measures being taken up such as night and weekend curfew. “I wonder how will they manage the COVID situation when they themselves are in a state of confusion over precautionary measures being implemented in the State,” he remarked while interacting with the press here on Wednesday.
He said the Government had to strike a balance by preventing the spread of the virus while ensuring that the livelihood of common people was not affected.
Taking serious exception to the Centre stating before the Supreme Court that no one had died due to hunger in the country in the recent years even during the pandemic, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the Centre was trying to mislead people. He maintained that there were people dying due to lack of food and in fact the pandemic had made people to struggle to earn their livelihood.
He said it was the primary duty of all governments to help people during a crisis. Otherwise, what was the need for a government to exist, he wondered and demanded that measures be taken to ensure marketing facilities for farmers besides extending financial help to street vendors.
