The Congress on Sunday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the entire nation had come together to fight the epidemic except for the “sunshine patriots” who have either gone into hiding or are obfuscating the truth and “communalising the situation”.

A “sunshine patriot”, a term coined by the 18th-century political activist and theorist Thomas Paine, is one who claims to fight for his country when the going is good but turns his back on it when the situation gets tough.

The Congress was clearly alluding to people who flaunt their patriotism and chant “Bharat Mata ki jai” in favourable times but disappear during crises. By alleging attempts to give a communal twist to the Covid situation, the party left no one in any doubt who its target was.

The reference came in a letter that the leader of the Opposition and Congress veteran, Mallikarjun Kharge, wrote to Modi on Sunday.

“Amidst this national crisis, it is truly heartening to see that we have come together as a people, irrespective of creed, caste or region,” he wrote.

“Many state governments, Opposition parties, doctors/ nurses/ allied healthcare organisations, civil society and citizen groups have taken up the mantle and are working collectively on the frontlines in this extraordinary national battle against Covid-19.”

Kharge added: “Unlike those sunshine patriots who are ignoring the situation or obfuscating the truth or apportioning blame or communalising the situation, all these conscientious organisations and people are working collectively in the national interest.”

Then came a sting: “One of the reasons they are compelled to do so is (that) the Union government seems to have abdicated its duties towards the people.”

The BJP and its supporters had brazenly lent a communal colour to Covid’s initial spread last year by blaming the Tablighi Jamaat. Recently, Tejashwi Surya, BJP Lok Sabha member from Karnataka, kicked up a storm over the recruitment of Muslims to help run the Bangalore civic body’s Covid helpline.

The “patriots” of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad who often took out “Tiranga yatras” chanting “Bharat Mata ki jai” are invisible at a time millions of Indians are struggling to secure oxygen or hospital beds for Covid-infected friends and relatives.

When visible or audible, Sangh parivar members are sending out bizarre messages that suggest they are out of touch with the reality of the situation and are tone deaf to the suffering of their compatriots.

For instance, the RSS issued a statement recently cautioning people against “anti-Bharat forces” and commending the government for its good work.

Reports suggest that the BJP’s ideological parent is organising a four-day event titled “Positivity Unlimited” to counter the “negativity” being spread in the name of Covid.

The RSS and the BJP are yet to acknowledge the gravity of the situation while the spiralling death toll and the images of burning pyres that have taken up every inch of crematories and have spilled over onto parks have triggered worldwide concern.

“It is heartbreaking to witness millions of ordinary Indians scrambling to access basic healthcare, oxygen, medicine, ventilators, hospital beds and even crematoriums and cemeteries,” Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister.

“Ordinary Indians are selling their land, jewellery and expending their savings to ensure treatment for their loved ones. And despite all this, people are dying in hospitals, on roads, and in their own homes. Crematoriums and cemeteries are choked while parks are being repurposed as cremation grounds.”

Kharge provided a few suggestions: “1. Convene an all-party (meeting) to draw a holistic blueprint to tackle the pandemic. 2. Use the Rs 35,000 crore allocated in the budget to run the vaccination programme instead of abdicating the moral obligation.... 3. Invoke compulsory licensing to expand vaccine production. 4. Waive taxes/ GST on life-saving medicine/ equipment. 5. Distribute the aid received (from) different countries in a transparent and efficient manner.

“6. Extend the number of days (of work offered a year) in MGNREGA to 200 (from 100) to give employment to those who have returned to the villages because of lockdown in major cities 7. Leverage our collective strength by involving scientists, doctors, experts, NGOs in the plan instead of tackling the crisis through PMO alone.”

In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chair M. Venkaiah Naidu, Kharge has asked that the parliamentary standing committees be allowed to resume their meetings through videoconferencing.

He has underlined how the standing committee on health and family welfare had provided valuable suggestions about tackling the pandemic and sounded a timely alert on the second wave.

Kharge has asked Naidu to seek an action-taken report on the recommendations.