Need for 'clear and honest' information from Centre on COVID-19 spread: CPI(M)

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury slammed the government on Tuesday for approaching the Supreme Court seeking a direction to media houses on how to report the coronavirus outbreak, saying a crisis cannot be used to curtail the fundamental rights.

The Centre has urged the court to order that no media outlet print, publish or telecast anything on the outbreak "without ascertaining the facts" provided by the government. It has said any deliberate or inaccurate reporting has a "serious and inevitable potential" of causing panic in the society.

Criticising the government stand, Yechury said the media has a duty to seek the truth.

He also raised a slew of questions on the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, saying there's a need for the Centre to provide "clear and honest''.

"First, we need clear and honest information from the central government on COVID-19 virus. The attempt to divert & obstruct genuine queries is akin to playing with the lives of millions of Indians. Why is the health minister and the home minister not leading the briefing every evening?

"Second, we need extensive testing. These restrictive provisions for testing are not helpful at all in assessing the extent of infection, or for initiating robust measures to counter its spread," he said in a series of tweets.

The Union Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 32 and the number of cases to 1,251 by Monday 9.30 pm, up from 1,024 cases and 27 deaths on Sunday evening. There are more than 1,100 active cases as nearly 100 have been cured.

Yechury also demanded that accountability be fixed for the unwarranted delays in procurement of protective gear and masks for healthcare providers despite World Health Organization warnings.

"Who is responsible for this delay and for playing with the health of the people who need protection the most," he asked.

"PM Modi came to power talking of 'cooperative federalism'. He must listen to state governments and provide them all the support that they need, instead of trying to centralise power. States are best placed to defeat it, with Centre's support," he said.

The CPI(M) general secretary said migrant labourers who have stayed at their workplaces needed visible and active support from the central government.

"Private charity, while welcome, is not a replacement for government failing to discharge its basic constitutional duty. Attempts to create social disharmony, tarnish sections, ostracise workers and the vulnerable by communal, casteist & sectarian forces must be resisted. If not, India's health and humanitarian crisis - with Centres knee-jerk responses - will only worsen the situation," he said.

He also questioned the need for a separate fund - PM CARES - when a PM National Relief Fund already existed.

"There is no clarity about the new fund, which raises questions about this collection. We can't forget that this govt brought opaque electoral bonds and collected 1000s of crores anonymously," he said.

(Picture credit: PTI)