Goa Congress demands judicial probe into deaths from March 2020 onwards, Covid handling by BJP govt

Addressing a press conference at the party state headquarters in the city, Goa Congress General Secretary Amarnath Panjikar said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant must step down immediately to pave way for an impartial judicial inquiry.

''We also demand that the Expert Committee constituted by the Health Minister must be scrapped with immediate effect. We demand Health Minister Vishwajit Rane's  apology to the people of Goa and Congress Party on Ivermectin prophylaxis treatment scam,'' Panjikar said.

Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress president Beena S Naik, Youth Congress president Varad Mardolkar, Seva Dal chief Shankar Kirlaparkar were also present in the press conference.

Mr Panjikar added, ''The conflicting figures of Covid positive patients as well as the repeated goof ups in reporting Covid deaths, deliberate use of Ivermectin tablets against World Health Organisation's guidelines have now exposed that the BJP Government completely failed in handling Covid pandemic and converted Goa into Covid Destination by pushing Goans into Covid death trap. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane converted Goa into 'Testing Laboratory' and used Goans as 'Guinea Pigs.'"

He questioned how could government admit that 67 deaths in private hospitals remained unreported for a long period of nine months from August 5, 2020, to May 22, 2021.

''BJP Government tried to manipulate figures of Covid positivity as well as deaths to create an artificial feeling of 'Acche Din' to push their mission of 'Show must go on' thus allowing Ministers as well as party functionaries to make fortunes from 'Business of Sickness,'" the Congress leader said.

Mahila Congress President Beena Naik said it was sad to note that the BJP government failed to commission the Oxygen Plant at Goa Medical College till date despite hundreds of patients dying due to shortage of oxygen.

''This act exposes the insensitivity of this Government. This government has demolished hundreds of families, with innocent Goan's losing their close family members shattering their dreams. There is no pardon for the criminal sins of BJP. It is only after consistent demand from the Congress Party that the Prime Minister today woke up from his slumber to announce on vaccination. We hope that his new announcement will not turn out to be another Jumla,'' she said.

Youth Congress president Adv. Varad Mardolkar questioned how could private hospitals manage to get vaccines from different manufacturers, when Goa government was struggling to procure adequate stock of vaccines.

''We demand that Chief Minister must declare the data of all the families to whom the government has released till date of the total compensation of Rs 6 lakhs comprising of Rs 4 lakhs announced by the Prime Minister and Rs 2 lakhs by the State Government. We demand that the said compensation must be released immediately and unconditionally stated Youth Congress president,'' he said.

Seva Dal Chief Shankar Kirlaparkar said, ''Congress Party tried to reach out to the needy people in Goa without making any publicity. BJP Government as well as the its party functionaries were all the time busy in celebrating events when entire State was passing through critical times and mourning deaths of patients.''