N Chandrababu Naidu suggests CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to call all party meet on covid-19, stop attributing motives to parties

National

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu suggested Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to keep all grudges a side and call for an all-party meeting to take opinions, suggestions and help from state’s all senior leaders to fight against coronavirus. He objected strongly to the ruling party leaders attributing motives to the TDP, BJP, Jana Sena and Left leaders instead of taking their advice to take forward the struggle against the killer virus.

Addressing the media, through video conferencing, Naidu asked why Andhra Pradesh CM hasn’t talked to the Opposition leaders when Prime Minister Modi himself has taken suggestions from former Presidents, former Prime Ministers, senior floor leaders from all political parties at the time of epidemic.

Instead of taking the rival parties along with it, the YSRCP has been indulged in political mud-slinging against every leader including BJP State President Kanna Lakshminarayana, Jana Sena President Pawan Kalyan and others. People were observing whether the ruling party or Opposition were politicising even virus preventive measures.

Former CM Naidu added that people of the state will not forgive him, if he didn’t raise their voice and pile on pressure on the government to initiate effective anti-infection measures by giving micro-level focus on hotspots in district-wise red zones.

He said Chief Minister should explain why he neglected rival parties’ advice and made paracetamol comments that had now pushed Andhra Pradesh into a dangerous virus threat. The government’s negligence in not giving protection equipment to the field level staff caused the death of an ASI in Anantapur district.

Chandrababu Naidu also blamed CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s adamant attitude for what he described as his MLAs’ irresponsible behaviour in freely violating lockdown restrictions. Had the CM restrained his MLA, the Srikalahasti incident would not have led to 13 government staff contracting the virus. The local MLA held a huge rally to thank donors for their contributions to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which now caused a virus cluster there. Had the CM restrained his Guntur MLA in the beginning, nearly 100 people would not have got infected from a Delhi returnee.

Stating that lockdown-2 had worsened the situation, Mr. Naidu appealed to the AP government to announce an immediate financial assistance of Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000 to the poor families. In addition to this, essential commodities should be delivered to the doorsteps like in Kerala where they were giving 19 items enough for two months. Even though AP has a big network of grama and ward volunteers, it is not making door delivery of essentials.

Naidu cautioned the CM and YSRCP leaders against making light of virus cases, saying that even though only 15 per cent +ve cases would require hospitalisation, the state would have no facilities required to treat them. It is not correct to leave everything in the hands of private hospitals by invoking ESMA. In Telangana, they have converted Gachibowli stadium into a 1,200-bed hospital for Coronavirus patients.