Coronavirus Pandemic: Andhra CPI blames Centre for second wave of COVID-19

Andhra Pradesh's Communist Party of India (CPI) secretary K Ramakrishna on Saturday blamed the BJP-led Central government for the spread of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India and said the Centre was deflecting the responsibility to the states.

Addressing the media here, the CPI leader also took a swipe on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for extending "issue-based support" to the Centre.

"The economy of the country has crashed due to Corona. People are suffering. This is due to the failure of Narendra Modi and the central government led by him. On the contrary, BJP leaders are claiming it is not their responsibility. They say it is the responsibility of state governments. They ask the states to procure vaccines on their own," he said.

Ramakrishna said BJP had claimed the success of containing the COVID-19 virus after the first wave but is not "owning the failure" of the second wave of the pandemic.
"Modi government is bothered about elections only but not about containing COVID. That is the reason the second wave has been so disastrous. Modi government had put all efforts in

West Bengal elections but did nothing to contain the second wave of the coronavirus. The Centre is not allowing many companies which are ready to make vaccines. But they are blaming the state government for not procuring vaccines," he added.

Ramakrishna noted that Andhra Pardesh's main Opposition party TDP has passed a resolution in its annual conclave extending issue-based support to the central Government yesterday.

"It is not correct at all. TDP wants the centre's support to counter ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). But supporting BJP for that reason cannot be justified. It is the BJP that cheated Andhra Pradesh on the matter of special status. The BJP-led central government is trying to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The same BJP is suppressing the rights of farmers and labourers. Many pro-labour laws are quashed by the Modi government," he added.

(ANI)