MP Home Min tells Kamal Nath to quit as LoP for alleging 1 lakh COVID deaths in the state

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra attacked senior Congress leader Kamal Nath for falsely claiming that one lakh people have died due to COVID-19 in the state. Stating that the former Chief Minister was trying to defame the country and the state, Mishra demanded the Governor to register a case against Kamal Nath on the matter.

“Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath made an accusation that more than 1 lakh people have died due to COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh. I demand the Governor to register a case against him in this matter. He is trying to defame the country and the state,” Mishra told ANI.

 “If he can prove that more than 1 lakh - if Kamal Nath has any proof to support his claim, he should table it in front of the assembly otherwise, he should resign.” the Minister challenged the Congress leader.

Former MP CM Kamal Nath has repeatedly accused the BJP government of mismanaging the COVID-19 crisis and claimed under-reporting of COVID-19 deaths. He also claimed that hospitals have no beds, injections, oxygen, medicines or ambulances in criminal negligence on part of the administration.

“The actual number of COVID-19 deaths in the state is being hidden by the government because the figures are much higher than the official statistics. The tests are not being conducted and even if they are done, then the reports are not being declared even in three days. By that time, there is a chance of such people spreading the infection among others," Nath said.

The senior Congress leader also alleged that Remdesivir injections (key anti-viral drug) were being given by BJP leaders "to their own people", instead of members of the general public suffering from COVID-19. Kamal Nath also slammed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government for the alleged slow pace of vaccination in the state. Claiming that people are under stress owing to the lack of enough vaccination centres, he lamented that no one knows when the vaccines ordered by the state government would be supplied. 

Coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh on Thursday reported 4,952 new coronavirus cases and 88 fatalities, taking the infection tally to 7,52,735 and the death toll to 7,315, the state health department said. Recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in the state, bringing down the count of patients under treatment below the 75,000-mark.

A total of 9,746 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh to 6,72,695, the department said. The state is now left with 72,725 active cases, it said.