Maharashtra government is 'bhagwan bharose' in tackling COVID-19: Rupani

Limbdi, Gujarat: Targeting the Congress, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani alleged that the party's government in Maharashtra is "bhagwan bharose" (at god's mercy) when it comes to controlling the coronavirus situation, unlike his state.
He also alleged that there was no arrangement of beds in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Maharashtra and bodies of patients who die due to the infection lie on footpaths unattended.

The Congress is part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra with NCP as the other partner.

Addressing a rally at Limbdi in Surendranagar district where by-elections will be held on November 3 along with seven other assembly seats in Gujarat, Rupani said his government has done a good job in controlling the pandemic, unlike the Congress government in Maharashtra.

"We have done a good job during coronavirus. The Congress has a government in neighbouring Maharashtra, where more than 45,000 people have died (due to coronavirus). There is no arrangement of beds in hospitals. People wander on footpaths and bodies of patients who have died due to coronavirus lie on footpaths (in that state)," he alleged.

"The Congress government has left it to 'bhagwan bharose' to control coronavirus (in Maharashtra)," he said.

"In Gujarat, we have surplus beds...there is no shortage of beds. We have achieved 90 per cent recovery rate and the death rate is 2.25 per cent death rate, which is further going down. We have provided costly injections and medicines free of cost, and supplied ventilators to private hospitals," he said.

"The BJP government has done all this in Gujarat...The people of Gujarat are fortunate, because had there been a Congress government in the state, there would have been chaos during the pandemic," Rupani added.

The BJP and Congress are in direct contest on all the eight seats in the by-elections.

While campaigning for party candidate Kiritsinh Rana from Limbdi assembly seat, Rupani also accused the Congress of creating a culture of "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram", referring to the practice of MLAs defecting to other parties.

He cited some instances in Gujarat as well as last year's development in Maharashtra, wherein Shiv Sena joined hands with Congress and NCP to form the government.

"What did you (Congress) do in Maharashtra? People's mandate was with the BJP. But you made a coalition government with NCP and Shiv Sena. There is no moral value left in Congress. This is Rahul Gandhi's Congress and not Mahatma Gandhi's...without any values," he said.

The chief minister claimed that eight former Congress MLAs, whose resignation has necessitated the bypolls in the state, had met him and expressed their desire to help the BJP win a seat in the Rajya Sabha elections held earlier this year.

"The BJP has a majority in Lok Sabha, but not in Rajya Sabha. In order to help the party increase its tally in the Rajya Sabha, eight Congress MLAs met and told me they are tired of Congress's politics and leadership.

"They said they cannot remain in that party and want to help Narendra Modi in Delhi, so that one additional (RS) member (of BJP) goes from Gujarat. This is why the elections are being held here," Rupani said.

He expressed confidence that the BJP will win all the eight seats and added that while this makes no difference to the state government, it will prove to be the "final nail in the coffin of the Congress party".

"We have to win all the eight seats, but this makes no difference to the government. The government is strong, stable, will complete five years...The difference is for the Congress. People of Limbdi have got a chance to drive the last nail in the Congress coffin," he said.

Rupani said that Congress sheds crocodile tears in the name of farmers and alleged that it did nothing for them when it was in power in the state.

He said when Narendra Modi became Gujarat's chief minister, he ensured that farmers get eight hours electricity, and now under Kisan Suryodaya Yojana (launched recently by PM Modi), they will even get electricity during the day.

He also asked whether Congress's affiliation lies with "gundas" (anti-social elements) and land grabbers as it recently opposed the two bills against them in the Assembly.

Rupani also recalled past Congress prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and accused them of making "false promises" of providing employment and eradicating poverty and corruption.

He said the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state are working by keeping the interest of the poor in mind.