With India's COVID-19 case load setting global records in recent weeks, countries from around the globe have rallied behind it. massive tranches of aid including thousands of oxygen concentrators, cylinders, emergency drugs and more have been airlifted to India over the last month. But even as government handles share updates about the outpouring of support, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has some concerns.
Hitting out at the Narendra Modi-led government in a tweet (shared in both Hindi and English) on Monday, Gandhi contended that this was not something to be elated about.
"GOI’s repeated chest-thumping at receiving foreign aid is pathetic. Had GOI done its job, it wouldn’t have come to this," he tweeted. Soon after this, he posted the tweet in Hindi - this time naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This post comes mere days after the The Congress demanded transparency when it came to the incoming foreign support. Party leaders had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the details of all the relief material received by India from different countries public.
As India reels under a calamitous second wave of the coronavirus infection, it has received large amounts of medical supplies from a significant number of countries, including the US, Russia, France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Romania, Singapore, Sweden and Kuwait.
Over the last few days, Gandhi has repeatedly hit out at the Centre. Critiquing the continuation of construction work for the Central Vista redevelopment project amid the pandemic, he had contended on Sunday that the country needs breath and not the prime minister's residence.
Taking a veiled dig at the BJP-led Central government Gandhi tweeted on Sunday to note that it was not only cities that were being affected by the pandemic. Citing a media report about the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in Indian villages, re wrote that they too were "dependent on God (Parmatma Nirbhar) now".
