Mumbai: The ruling NCP and Congress in Maharashtra on Monday hit out at the Centre over its handling of the COVID-19 situation in the country and called for "one nation, one policy" to fight the pandemic.
State Minority Affairs Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik also demanded that the Narendra Modi government convene an all-party meeting to chalk out the policy.
"The coronavirus cannot be eradicated only through advertisements at a time when there is a need to work out 'one nation, one policy' considering the current COVID-19 situation in the country," a statement said quoting Malik.
He claimed the situation in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was such that the last rites of COVID-19 victims were being performed in rivers instead of crematoriums. "The COVID-19 pandemic cannot be tackled until there is one policy for the country. The Modi government should call an all-party meeting to decide the policy," he said.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that "the Centre is not able to handle the COVID-19 situation," he claimed.
Malik also referred to the constitution of a 12-member National Task Force of top medical experts by the Supreme Court to formulate a methodology for oxygen allocation to states and Union Territories and to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic.
"The Centre is not carrying out works which it is supposed to. So, these are being carried out by court orders.
This means the (central) government is falling short of discharging its duty," the NCP leader alleged.
Maharashtra Revenue Minister and senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat targeted the Centre over its vaccination programme, saying it has unfortunately been proved that the Modi government "does not have" any proper policy and planning to inoculate people.
"The Centre earlier talked about successfully tackling the first wave (of COVID-19)...(but) the way elections were held, the way Kumbh Mela was organised...the entire country is suffering consequences of the same," Thorat told reporters here.
"The central government, its leadership, PM Narendra Modi ji are completely responsible for it, he claimed. The SC had to intervene and form the task force," Thorat noted.