Aam Aadmi Party said that at a when the state was reeling under covid pandemic and the government was completely lost on direction, Ponda Congress MLAs sons joining the BJP and that too in the presence of the Ayush minister Shripad Naik showed that the party had hit the lowest point of decency in public life. Addressing media, party convenor
Aap Convenor Elvis Gomes said that BJP was either opening party offices somewhere in the country or breaking other vulnerable parties like the congress by buying their MLAs. He said that people all over the state were being tormented due to lack of adequate health facilities in the covid situation, some even facing hunger due to loss of jobs, salary cuts. But the BJP was using central ministers to play politics and that too none other than the ‘Ayush’ minister who has a responsibility to the people first and party last.
Displaying a reply obtained under RTI Act, Gomes pointed out that an amount of ₹8.77 crores received from the central fund was the only amount spent so far and no funds were received from the state government towards covid care. He alleged that there was a backlog of nearly 10000 swab test reports making people wait for as long as 10 days. He also alleged that it was not surprising anymore to hear reports that covid death figures were suppressed by showing them as deaths due to ‘other ailments’.
Aap spokesman Parshuram Sonurlekar showed details of tests carried out as per RTI reply and said that a total of 111035 tests were carried out as on 31st July for which an amount of ₹7.37 crores was spent and that too entirely from the central fund. He said that not a single penny was spent by the state government and wondered where the funds collected under the CM relief fund were utilised so far.
Aap youth leader Lourenco Silva alleged that there was no sincerity when it came to covid care as there was an acute shortage of ambulances. “ By now there should have been massive mobilisation of equipment for mass testing of people. He said that people were charged ₹100 for a simple registration for a test. What kind of system is this ?” asked Silva.
