Govt erred with low COVID testing; unplanned lockdown caused chaos, pain to millions:Cong

The Congress on Thursday came down heavily on the government accusing it of low coronavirus testing, with party president Sonia Gandhi alleging that its "unplanned" implementation of countrywide lockdown caused "chaos and pain" to millions of migrant workers.

Blaming the government for not giving any thought to the deteriorating economic situation, the party demanded setting up of a task force of world experts for measures to revive the economy.

The demands were made after a four-hour meeting of the party's highest decision making body, where top Congress leaders deliberated on the situation due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The CWC resolved that the government has "miserably failed to provide adequate livelihood support to the poor" as its financial action plan was "miserly, hopelessly inadequate and left out several vulnerable sections".

It also suggested that the government come out with 'financial action plan 2' to help those affected due to the lockdown.

Though the BJP accused the Congress of playing politics at a time when India was facing an epidemic, the opposition party brushed aside the criticism saying it is highlighting shortcomings in the system as a constructive opposition.

Sonia Gandhi criticised the government for its "unplanned" implementation of the lockdown and causing hardships to the poor.

"The 21-day national lockdown may have been necessary but the unplanned manner in which it has been implemented has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India," she said.

On containment and treatment of COVID-19, the CWC resolution said, "The government has erred in adopting a strategy of limited testing. A lockdown or any other kind of restriction is futile unless it is accompanied by extensive testing."
Urging the Congress to act as a watchdog, he said, "We need to ensure that the most vulnerable and poor are protected comprehensively. Also, let's take the message that we need to take special care of our senior citizens and elders."