Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed concern that as on now, Andhra Pradesh was standing in second place in Coronavirus active cases next only to the worst affected state of Maharashtra. The reason for the unexpected and unchecked rise in virus cases in AP was the criminal negligence of the ruling YSRCP leaders while in Maharashtra, they were facing bigger challenges from international traffic, metropolitan city, etc.
The TDP chief commended his party leaders and workers for taking active part in the week-long ‘Samara Bheri’ agitation in protest against the Jaganmohan Reddy government’s failures to control the epidemic. At a time when the ruling party leaders should have focused all their energies to prevent epidemic spread, they were filing false cases against TDP leaders to derive sadistic pleasure. Now, the daily rise in Covid cases in AP has risen to 14 per cent alarmingly. The state has also come to stand in 4th place in virus deaths.
Mr. Naidu asserted that it was not just enough to say that people should coexist with Coronavirus but the Chief Minister should help create awareness. On its part, the TDP was conducting webinars with doctors, experts and intellectuals regularly through the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation (GFST). Reports with recommendations to contain the virus were being submitted to the Central government. While US President Donald Trump was wearing a mask, AP CM Jagan Reddy was still not wearing one.
Mr. Naidu condemned the growing atrocities being carried out against the Dalits all over the state. The government boasted of bringing the Disha Act as a tougher Act than even Nirbhaya but both Acts were not applied in the minor Dalit girl’s gang-rape case in Rajahmundry. It was the TDP which extended Rs. 2 lakh to support the girl’s family and also another Rs. 2 lakh to the Dalit victim of tonsure case. In the past 14 months of YSRCP rule, over 100 atrocities have been committed against Dalits in which the guilty persons escaped without any punishment.
The TDP chief said that telemedicine was giving better results in helping people in Covid time but the AP government was ignoring this. The ruling party has also neglected to use Real Time Government which would have greatly helped in containing the infections.
Several TDP leaders told Mr. Naidu that the poor people were unable to pay treatment charges for Covid as Rs. 10,000 was needed for the tests. The actual treatment for the virus was running into Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh. In some cases, the treatment costs were even more. While the general public were facing untold hardships to receive treatment in the State, the ruling party leaders were going to Hyderabad for better treatment.
The Opposition leaders complained that the government was extending sale hours at liquor shops for more revenue but at the same time putting problems to ordinary shop owners with heavy penalties for selling products beyond permitted hours. These fines were crossing Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000. Covid patients were not getting proper treatment anywhere in the State. Even the test results were also faulty. The discharged patients were being given just Rs. 100 or Rs. 50 but not Rs. 2,000 as promised by the government.
