Hyderabad: Former minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Tuesday asked whether Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has given up the fight against the Coronavirus in Telangana State.
He was speaking after distributing food and other essential items among ANM Nurses in Bhiknoor Mandal and auto-drivers of seven villages who were affected due to lockdown in view of the Coronavirus situation.
Shabbir Ali said that the Chief Minister has failed to handle the Covid-19 situation in Telangana State and kept people in the dark. He said that the Chief Minister made several false claims in the past only to cheat and mislead the people. “While speaking in Assembly, KCR has claimed that Coronavirus could be treated with just a Paracetamol tablet. Later, he had set several deadlines to contain the pandemic. Now, he is saying that people have to learn to live with the virus,” he said.
The Congress leader said that KCR’s statements not only show disappointment but clearly suggest that he has surrendered before the deadly disease. “KCR still seems to be in two minds. If we’ve to live with the virus, then there is no need for lockdown and it can be lifted with some restrictions. But we should continue lockdown in a planned manner if we are confident of defeating the virus sooner or later,” he said.
Shabbir Ali asked KCR not to play with the emotions of common people. “KCR’s depressive talk would demoralise the people who are already in fear and pain. Since KCR himself is in self-quarantine in Pragathi Bhavan for the last few years, he can advise people on how to live on by staying in touch with only a few human beings and pets,” he said adding that the Chief Minister got habitual of a lavish lifestyle and he would never understand the pain of a common man.
The Congress leader also expressed concern over the plight of lakhs of migrant workers from Telangana stranded in Gulf countries. He said those workers have no jobs or sources of livelihood in those countries and they also have no money to return home. He said it was highly regrettable that Modi Government was bringing back only rich NRIs who could take care of their travel expenses and 14-day quarantine period in a star hotel. “Modi or KCR Govts are not even thinking about the poor migrant workers who stranded in foreign countries without a job, money or food and there’s is no way they could return home, he said.
Shabbir Ali said that the BJP and TRS Governments have also turned blind for lakhs of migrant workers who are trying to reach their homes by walking thousands of kilometers on roads or railway tracks.