Allegations and counter-allegations flew between the Opposition BJP and the ruling JMM on the management of the pandemic situation in Jharkhand on Tuesday in the run-up to the by-election to the Madhupur Assembly seat on April 17.
JMM cabinet minister Hafizul Hassan is locked in a direct fight with the BJP’s Ganga Narayan Singh for the bypoll, campaigning for which would end on Thursday.
BJP legislative party leader and Dhanwar MLA Babulal Marandi on Tuesday accused chief minister Hemant Soren and his government of misguiding people on vacant beds in hospitals for Covid patients and suggested declaring a health emergency in the state.
State health minister Banna Gupta countered the BJP allegation by stating that the state has enough beds in the government and private hospitals to treat Covid patients.
He reminded the BJP leaders to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do the same thing as suggested to Soren. Gupta claimed that Modi was busy in election campaigning amid a surge in Covid cases across the country and vaccine shortage in several states.
Senior BJP leader Marandi told the media at Madhupur: “The state government has failed completely in controlling the spread of Covid-19. The people are crying for medical attention while the chief minister is busy in campaigning for the Madhupur bypoll. The government should immediately declare a health emergency in Jharkhand.
“The government is making false claims on vacant beds for Covid patients in the state while in reality people are standing in queues waiting for treatment at RIMS and other hospitals in Ranchi.
The central government is willing to help but the state government is only interested in doing politics over issues.”
Jamshedpur West MLA Gupta on Tuesday inspected the Covid ward, vaccine centre, ICU and critical care units at the Sadar Hospital in Ranchi wearing a PPE kit and interacted with Covid patients and tasted the food being served to them.
“The visit is aimed at sending a message that I can visit any Covid hospital any time. There should not be any slackness in treatment of any patient.
“At the moment the government has drawn up an action plan with the private and government hospitals across the state so that there are enough beds to treat Covid patients,” said Gupta.
On the BJP’s allegation that the chief minister was engrossed in campaigning, Gupta retorted: “The BJP leaders should first ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi on what he is doing at the moment when the entire country is witnessing an unprecedented surge in Covid cases and there are crises of injections and vaccines.”
The state registered 2,366 fresh cases and 19 deaths due to Covid-19 on Tuesday.
In capital Ranchi on Monday, there were a total of 984 oxygen-supported beds, out of which 875 were occupied, while 58 out of 91 ICU beds and 87 out of 159 ventilator beds were occupied.
The growth rate (seven days) of the virus in Jharkhand on Tuesday stood at a worrying 1.29 per cent, more than the national average of 0.79 per cent, while the recovery rate was 88.30 per cent, lower than the national average of 89.90 per cent.
The mortality rate stood at 0.86 per cent while the national average was 1.30 per cent.
Meanwhile, Bihar leader of the Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav campaigned for Hafizul in Madhupur on Tuesday.
