Gaurav Gogoi, Congress Member of Parliament (MP) during the ongoing parliament's winter session, accused MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of forgetting the devastation during the second wave of Covid-19 earlier in the year.
While speaking in the parliament, Gaurav Gogoi said, "The Prime Minister asked the nation to remain vigilant regarding Covid-19. Other MPs of the BJP also need to ask citizens to remain vigilant and follow Covid-19 preventive measures".
"Earlier this year, on several forums the government declared victory over Covid-19 and it was months before the Covid-19's second wave which caused large numbers of deaths and forced us to ask foreign nations for ventilators and equipment for oxygen generation", he added.
He then said that the government imposed taxes on fuel, levied GST on several items, and increased prices of LPG in return for providing Covid-19 vaccines for free, apparently referring to BJP's Dibrugarh MP Rameswar Teli.
Notably, Teli had said in October that the government had procured vaccines using the tax imposed on petrol and diesel. The government had later announced a reduction in taxes on petrol on the eve of Diwali.
Saying that should have announced more economic relief as the second wave led to the loss of jobs and pay cuts everywhere, Gogoi asked about the status of the Covid-19 vaccine's second dose. He also enquired clarification on the real number of deaths caused during the pandemic
He said, "Citing Assam's vaccination data, I can say that vaccination records rose to lead to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday and it fell days after that and it was also low days before the event" while speaking on the vaccination drive.
He also disapproved of the usage of the Prime Minister's photos on vaccination certificates. Saying that the government should own up to its mistakes, the Congress MP said, "Do not accuse us of the achievements you have failed to achieve. The government should take credit for the objectives it has achieved but also take ownership of the failure".