Empty vessels make more noise: TMC on Modi's speech about Covid

Kolkata: Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the country regarding Covid situation, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Derek 0' Brien on Wednesday held him responsible for mismanagement of the pandemic and said the former had proven that "empty vessels make more noise".

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi had said lockdown should be the last resort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Addressing a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan, the MP questioned whether Modi's statement was an admission of his failure as the nationwide lockdown on March 26, 2020 was announced with just four hours' notice.

He said the BJP-ruled Centre had failed to convey the importance of Covid appropriate behavior while the first wave subsided. Instead, the Centre praised itself for having effectively defeated corona.

Referring to the resolution passed by the BJP in February which read: "It can be said with pride that India not only defeated Covid under the able, sensitive, committed and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi…," Derek held Modi responsible for Centre's failure to act promptly to prevent the spread of the disease.

Derek 0' Brien said the BJP had organised a massive gathering in all the poll-bound states despite the rise in the cases. "The total interaction of Modi and Amit Shah in April is 47. In 2021, public interactions by Shah in Bengal till April 20 are 54 and 19 rallies were held by Modi in Bengal. The Covid cases was 6,513 in the state on April 1 and it went up to 53, 418 on April 19. But, BJP refused to cut down its rallies," he maintained.