Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy said that both BJP Government at the Centre and TRS Govt in the State were hand-in-glove to hush up the real statistics pertaining to Coronavirus infection.
Speaking to media persons after distributing sanitizers and masks in the Secunderabad Assembly segment on Sunday, Narayana Reddy said that the State Government was not conducting Covid-19 tests in adequate quantity only to avoid the increase in a number of positive cases. “In order to see low figures, KCR Govt is actually trying to hide Covid-19 patients and suspects behind the curtains. They are being transformed into Covid-19 bombs. Once the lockdown gets over, those untested and untreated patients will play havoc in the entire society,” he feared.
The Congress leader said that there were multiple cases of community transmission in Telangana and other parts of the country although we never acknowledged Coronavirus entering into the third stage. There were at least 22 Coronavirus positive cases in Telangana with no travel history. Instead of sounding an alert, the State Government has simply entered into a denial mode. “Doctors for Seva”, an NGO, has clearly pointed out not only the ‘under-testing for COVID-19 in Telangana but also the under-reporting. Several experts have also objected to the way Coronavirus suspects were kept with positive patients in the same ward. They were forced to use the same washrooms and other facilities which apparently turned a negative person to Covid-19 positive.
Reddy said that the ‘self-healing’ belief of State Government might not work out for Coronavirus as it has taken away thousands of lives for a single mistake. “KCR Govt was in similarly denial mode when hundreds of Dengue cases were being reported. It simply changed the definition of Dengue and warned the private hospitals of disclosing the figures. It hushed up the figures, but it could save hundreds of lives. It apparently wants to adopt a similar approach for Coronavirus. Health Minister Etala Rajender must understand the difference between Dengue and Covid-19. Dengue was not a contagious disease, but Coronavirus is highly contagious and it could spread among lakhs of people if the affected persons are not identified, tested, and treated at the initial stage. We cannot take the risk of leaving a single individual untested and untreated,” he said.
The Congress leader also alleged that the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) did not do its job properly. “The IMCT appears to be in some kind of excursion or study tour. They are visiting all the places in Hyderabad by taking pictures and shooting videos for social media. They did not seek any answers from the State Government on real issues. Why the IMCT did not question the State Government on a low percentage for testing? Why the Central Team did not seek details of manpower hired for the new 1500-bedded hospital ‘Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences’? Why the Central Team was silent on open violation of ICMR guidelines which says that all pregnant women in containment areas or clusters (even though asymptomatic) should be tested for Covid-19.
“While the BJP Government has implemented nationwide lockdown without any planning, the TRS Government has ruined the State’s economy with its wrong decisions. Therefore, now both BJP and TRS are praising each other to cover up each others’ mistakes.
Reddy feared that the TRS Government was considering the Coronavirus as some routine flu and therefore, not paying full attention to defeat it. However, he said any negligence in this regard would put the lives of lakhs of people in danger. He demanded that the Central Government immediately review the Coronavirus situation in Telangana and give necessary directions and assistance to the State Government to effectively handle the situation.
