South Goa Member of Parliament Narendra Sawaikar moved a resolution at a meeting of the BJP on Tuesday praising the handling
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has praised Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant for his handling of the Covid pandemic even as he faced criticism including from his Cabinet colleagues over it.
South Goa Member of Parliament Narendra Sawaikar moved a resolution at a meeting of the BJP on Tuesday praising the handling. The resolution said the second Covid-19 wave was so severe that the health care system was overwhelmed due to the sudden increase of severe cases in April and May. It added in spite of the best efforts of the doctors and other health care staff, several people succumbed to the severity of the disease. The resolution said the government “bravely battled the pandemic” by strengthening the health infrastructure.
The BJP described the meeting as “routine” while expressing full confidence in Sawant’s leadership.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane, who was among those who criticised the government for failing to impose restrictions to check Covid-19 spread in time, did not attend the meeting. Rane has also called for an inquiry into the deaths due to oxygen shortage in the state. He expressed his inability to attend the meeting since he was not in the state.
Rane was unavailable for comments.
State BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade said they commended the state government for the way it handled the pandemic as well as other calamities like the cyclone. “So, putting all this together, a congratulatory motion was passed, and several ministers and MLAs (members of legislative assembly) spoke. This was passed unanimously.”
Goa’s positivity rate touched 51% at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, which was the highest in the country at the time. The Bombay High Court at Goa was forced to take cognisance of the situation when the inadequate supply of oxygen left 75 people dead at a government hospital.
The state has reported 16,60,00 cases and more than 3,000 deaths since the second wave of the pandemic hit Goa.
