MUMBAI: Accusing the Centre of "continued discrimination" against Maharashtra in the COVID-19 crisis, ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi constituent Congress on Friday slammed it for depriving the state from international aid arriving from 40 countries.
"The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has excluded Maharashtra from the list of states where the Centre plans to distribute the corona aid that has come from 40 countries," said party spokesperson and General Secretary Sachin Sawant. He said that initially, the Centre sat on the relief materials, and when distribution was taken, the aid is being first given to Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, etc, barring Maharashtra.
"We strongly condemn the Centre's move and want an answer from the BJP and its Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on why this grave injustice is being done to the people of Maharashtra," Sawant demanded.
Elaborating, he said around 25 flights load of help has arrived from abroad, including governments and from many people of Indian origin in those countries who want to help the people of their respective states in this country.
"When even the states have a right to this international aid, then why it is being allocated through the Centre like the PM Cares Fund and not directly given to the states. This is a breach of the federal system," said Sawant. He said the Modi government has been consistently harassing the MVA government since the past nearly one-and-half years as it is being run by BJP's rival political parties.
"Earlier, the state was discriminated against in the supplies of Remdesivir, oxygen, ventilators, masks, PPEs, vaccines and now even for international aid for which priority is being given to the BJP-ruled states," Sawant said sharply.
In the past, the MVA constituents, Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress leaders have attacked the Centre repeatedly for meting out "stepmotherly treatment" on various fronts and now even denying the state COVID-related critical supplies besides other issues. (IANS)
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