New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi came down heavily on the government over the COVID-19 situation in the country on Friday and alleged that it has abandoned any pretence of being democratic and forgotten the spirit of federalism.
Addressing a meeting of 22 opposition parties convened through video-conferencing to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic, she alleged that the government is uncertain about the criteria for enforcing lockdown and has no exit strategy from it.
Gandhi said the government has “cruelly ignored” scores of migrant workers and the 13 crore families in the bottom half of the population as no financial relief has been provided to them.
“The prime minister’s announcement of a grand Rs 20 lakh crore package on May 12 and the finance minister spelling out its details over the next five days have turned out to be a cruel joke on the country,” she said.
The Congress chief said there is no indication either as regards whether Parliament or its standing committees will be summoned to meet to discuss the situation.
“The government has abandoned any pretence of being democratic and all power is now concentrated in only one office — the PMO,” she said.
Gandhi also accused the government of functioning unilaterally, saying there is no pretence of any consultation with the stakeholders or debate in Parliament.
Alleging that the government has embarked on a “wild adventure” of so-called reforms, including “a grand clearance sale of PSUs” and repeal of labour laws, she said, “We deplore these unilateral moves.”
