PANAJI
Aam Aadmi Party has said that with the BJP government failing to make adequate arrangements for beds, oxygen, home isolation and other critical functions of Covid management, timely vaccination remains the only hope for Goans.
AAP State convenor Rahul Mhambre expressed frustration that CM Pramod Sawant has managed to complicate even this simple task, which could have been completed within a matter of weeks had the government focussed on people instead of politics.
Mhambre said that the BJP government was seen squirming in the High Court hearing, trying to cover up its continuous failures in procuring and administering vaccines.
“The High Court bench, referring to the government’s statements and affidavits, asked several detailed questions, but the government was unable to provide believable answers. the government was seen contradicting itself several times, whether on the number of vaccine stocks available, or the reasons for the slow pace of vaccination,” Mhambre observed.
Recalling that the CM had made a grand announcement in April that he would procure 15 lakh doses for Goa out of which 5 lakh doses would be directly from the manufacturer, Mhambre said that more than a month later the reality on the ground is very different.
“For 18-44 age group, Goan youth who are eager to get vaccinated are being made to compete on the CoWin portal over extremely limited spots every week. For the 45 plus age group, the government claimed in the High Court that it has about 2.5 lakh doses available but no one is coming to take the vaccine, yet even confirmed appointments for the second dose for 45 plus have been cancelled,” Mhambre revealed.
Mhambre accused BJP of focussing on its politics instead of the welfare of the people. While welcoming the Tika Utsav programme, Mhambre said that BJP MLAs are spending more time ensuring their photo and Lotus symbol is on the posters than on actually mobilising people.
“Has BJP purchased these vaccines from its party fund? Is the vaccination happening in the BJP office? Are BJP’s private doctors and nurses administering the vaccine? If not, then why is BJP symbol being promoted in a vaccination drive done by the government of Goa using taxpayers money?” Mhambre demanded to know.
Pointing to the intentional bottleneck created on the CoWin portal for the 18-44 age group, Mhambre said this is being done only to stretch the vaccination programme to hide the shortage of vaccines.
“Sawant does not want to have to close down vaccination centres and embarrass his high command. So he is releasing just 100 doses a day at each centre to try and stretch the limited vaccine stocks. He doesn’t care about the inconvenience and risk this creates for Goan youth,” Mhambre charged.
Mhambre said that the government should not try to hide its failures, and instead learn from the AAP government in Delhi which transparently issues a daily Vaccination Audit.
