After Maharashtra government imposed section 144 to curb Covid surge, the CPI-M today lashed out at both the state and central governments, accusing them of fudging death numbers and indulging in hate politics instead of taking necessary steps that could prevent another lockdown.

In Bengal, Covid cases have crossed six lakhs while the death toll, at present, has crossed 10,000. Addressing the Press, CPIM politburo member, Md Salim, said, “With another wave of coronavirus apparently affecting people globally, the Narendra Modi government must immediately take all necessary steps to prevent another lockdown.”

He said both the state and central government must ensure increase in tests, vaccination, capacity augmentation in hospitals etc. “Instead, we saw how a pandemic got politicised with its effects on vaccine supply. PM Care fund corruption is another instance. In Gujarat, the chief minister even inaugurated a false ventilator. Is this the Gujarat model that PM Modi wants us to follow?” alleged Salim.

The CPI-M leader was alluding to the incident where an Ambu-bag (artificial breathing bag) named ‘Dhaman-1’ was bought in bulk by the central government and allegedly passed off as a ventilator in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. This reportedly resulted in the deaths of many patients in that hospital, last year.

Further, Salim accused the state government of fudging death numbers and said, it’s a ploy to cover the inadequate arrangements and inefficiency in tackling a pandemic. “In Bengal, patients have died outside hospital gates because they could not get a bed while bodies were surreptitiously buried in the dark. Instead of making necessary arrangements, our chief minister and Union home minister Amit Shah is indulging in hate politics on communal lines to garner maximum votes,” he said, adding, “in Surat such is the death toll that recently they reopened a crematorium which was closed for decades.”

“We cannot afford another lockdown given the massive amount of job losses and economic jolt during last year lockdown. The effects continue to haunt us but neither the Trinamul nor the BJP talks of creating jobs or deal with the inflation of food prices,” Salim pointed out.