PM Modi chairs all-party meet on COVID situation, urges leaders to 'rise above politics'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed an all-party meeting on the COVID-19 situation in the country. During the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that the Centre and states need to work together as a team to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

Speaking at the all-party meeting, PM Modi reiterated that India is currently in a better position than many other nations in terms of the ratio of the population hit by COVID-19, but cautioned states to remain vigilant citing a resurgence of the disease in various countries like the UK.

PM Modi also urged political parties that the pandemic should not be seen as a matter of politics but a matter of concern for the entire humanity. He added that mankind hasn’t seen such a pandemic in the last 100 years.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to properly plan the vaccination drives at the district level. He said that it is a matter of concern that a significant number of frontline workers and healthcare staff are yet to get vaccinated even after six months since the commencement of the drive. PM Modi also said that vaccines from more companies are likely to be available in India in some time.

During the meeting, a detailed presentation was given by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on COVID-19 management. He informed that till now, only eight states have over 10,000 cases with the majority of the caseload in Maharashtra and Kerala. 

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda lauded PM Modi for his constant monitoring and working tirelessly through the pandemic. Several other leaders also thanked the Prime Minister for his efforts.

The meeting was attended by several Opposition leaders. These include Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav and Biju Janata Dal's Pinaki Misra. Leaders of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi also attended the meeting.

Congress, Akalis, Left skip all-party meeting

The Congress, Akali Dal and the Left parties skipped the all-party meeting. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had said, "We'd said that all MPs be called in Central Hall instead of just the Floor Leaders. Everyone must be spoken to. We had said that this be done in two slots. We're not attending it as everyone should get to know (the COVID situation)."

SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal had said that his party would boycott PM's briefing unless the government addressed the issue of farmers. "Today Shiromani Akali Dal will boycott PM Modi's briefing on COVID-19. It will be attended only after he calls a meeting to discuss farmer issues," he said.