UP govt busy in headline management, no efforts on ground to tackle COVID-19: Jitin Prasada

Hitting out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Jitin Prasada on Wednesday alleged that there was a lack of efforts on ground to tackle COVID-19 in the state with just "headlines being created", and urged party workers to provide all assistance to the needy as the lockdown is eased.

Prasada, who has started 'kaise hain aap (how are you)' initiative to connect with party workers via video conferencing and assess the ground situation, said he has been telling the workers to come to the aid of people and make the Congress a mass movement in support of the poor.

He also hailed the efforts of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in taking up the cause of those in distress, especially migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, and ensuring speedy assistance to them at a time the government aid was allegedly "not forthcoming".

"The UP government has utterly failed in helping the people. All power has been concentrated in the hands of the government, there is no voice through which you can reach the officials and people are helpless as to where to go," the former Union minister said.

"It is my initiative to restore and repair the connect with workers that got broken down due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown," Prasada said.

He said he has been telling Congress workers that the priority is that the lockdown has been on for two months now and as it is being eased it is important to strongly raise law and order issues and concerns of farmers like procurement of wheat.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has taken a "historic" decision on behalf of the party to pay for the rail ticket of migrant labourers and now it is the responsibility of all Congress workers to ensure that no one in need is left out, he said.