Opposition's 9-pt 'Stop COVID' note to PM Modi gets point-by-point reply; Read this thread

Hours after leaders of 12 top Opposition parties wrote a letter to PM Modi suggesting measures to curb COVID-19, BlueKraft Digital foundation CEO Akhilesh Mishra responded to the nine recommendations point by point, claiming to expose hypocrisy by the parties. 

A joint letter was penned by NCP's Sharad Pawar, Congress' Sonia Gandhi, JD(S) Deve Gowda, CPIM's Yechury, DMK's Stalin, JMM's CM Soren, CPI's Raja, SP's Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray, TMC's Mamata Banerjee, JKNC's Farooq Abdullah and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav to PM Modi, urging the Centre to implement the suggestions that were allegedly ignored previously. The BlueKraft CEO who has earlier been affiliated with the ruling establishment took to Twitter to argue each point suggested in the Opposition's letter to PM Modi and noted that these leaders recommended something one day and did a U-turn on it the next day. The thread has gained considerable traction online.

Suggestion 1. Procure vaccines centrally from aff available sources - global and domestic.

Addressing the suggestion to procure vaccines globally, Akhilesh Mishra pointed out that Rahul Gandhi and multiple Congress leaders had earlier advocated for state governments to have greater say in vaccine procurement while the letter written to PM Modi signed by Sonia Gandhi said so otherwise. 

Suggestion 2. Immediately begin a free, universal mass vaccination campaign across the country.

Secondly, the BlueKraft CEO pointed out that while Sonia Gandhi had backed universal free vaccination, her party leaders including Shashi Tharoor and senior advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi were for vaccinations through private channels, and asked who's suggestions were to be accepted. 

Suggestion 3. Invoke compulsory licensing to expand domestic vaccine production.

Thirdly, Akhilesh Mishra noted that Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav had categorised the available domestic vaccines as 'BJP vaccines' earlier while Congress' Manish Tewari & others had allegedly instigated people against the domestically manufactured COVAXIN and noted that the two parties had urged expansion of domestic production of the vaccines in the letter to PM Modi on Wednesday. 

Suggestion 4. Spend budgetary allocation af Rs. 36,000 crores for the vaccines.

Fourthly, he noted that 17.59 crore people had been vaccinated already out of which 16 crores were inoculated via the free channel provided by the Centre and asked how it was possible to do so without the govt spending from the budgetary allocation. 

Suggestion 5. Stop Central Vista construction. Use the allocated money for procuring oxygen and vaccines, instead.

The BlueKraft CEO noted that the Central Vista project was sanctioned before the pandemic and questioned the construction of a new assembly building in Chhattisgarh and the MLA hostel in Maharashtra amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Suggestion 6. Release all maney held in the unaccounted private trust fund, PM-CARES to buy more vaccines, Oxygen and medical equipment required.

Addressing the suggestion of the Opposition to use the PM-CARES fund for procurement of oxygen and medical equipment, the former MyGov.in's director noted that the PMNRF fund under the UPA had gone unaccounted for and was donated to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation while the PM-CARES fund was used to build oxygen plants, buy oxygen systems.

Suggestion 7. Give all jobless at least Rs. 6000 per month.

He also claimed that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's concern for the poor & jobless was touching, considering the extortion allegation levelled against his colleagues in the MVA govt and pointed out that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was depriving the farmers of the PM-KISAN Yojana.

Suggestion 8. Free distribution of foodgrains to the needy

Akhilesh Mishra also pointed out that free foodgrains were already being distributed under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana and note that over 80 cr had benefited from the scheme that began in November 2020 and has already been extended. 

Suggestion 9. Repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people.

Addressing the suggestion to repeal farm laws, the BlueKraft CEO noted that Congress had promised in its 2019 poll manifesto to repeal APMC and establish a free market for agri-produce while NCP's Sharad Pawar favoured similar reforms. 

Opposition wants farm laws repealed to curb COVID

In their letter to PM Modi, the leaders of the Opposition parties urged the Centre to allow COVID vaccines to be procured from all available sources - both globally and locally - and demanded a free and universal mass vaccination campaign throughout the country. Secondly, the Opposition asked the Centre to invoke compulsory licensing to expand domestic vaccine production and urged the Union Govt to spend Rs 35,000 cr allocated in the budget to procure vaccines. Targeting the Central Vista construction yet again, the Opposition leaders demanded the money allocated for the project to be used to procure vaccines and oxygen instead. 

The Opposition leaders called for the money collected in unaccounted private trust fund including the PM-CARES fund to be released and used to procure oxygen, medical equipment and vaccine. The Opposition, which has frequently targeted the PM-CARES fund, made this suggestion just as PM Modi on Wednesday evening announced that 1.5 Lakh units of Oxycare Systems will be procured through PM-CARES fund at a cost of Rs 322.5 crore. Further, the leaders demanded Centre to provide Rs 6000 to all 'jobless' individuals in the country amid COVID. 

Making the most bizarre suggestion to PM Modi, the Opposition parties urged the Centre to repeal the three farm laws in order to 'protect lakhs of annadatas' from being exposed to the pandemic so that 'they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people'. Remaining oblivious to PM Modi's decision to approve the allocation of additional foodgrains for 2 months under Phase III of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY), the Opposition leaders called for free distribution of foodgrains and claimed that over one crore tonnes of foodgrains were currently rotting in central godowns.