NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP leaders including party MP Gautam Gambhir Friday accused the city government of reducing the number of daily COVID-19 tests when the pandemic was at its peak, which they claimed led to the further spread of the virus and loss of lives in the national capital.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party denied the allegation as "frivolous", saying the BJP has no moral authority to raise such questions.
The death rate went up in Delhi due to the "criminal negligence" and the alleged reduction in the coronavirus testing by the Kejriwal government, Delhi BJP leaders told a press conference.
The press conference was also addressed by BJP MP Hansraj Hans and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.
"Who is responsible for deaths due to reduction in testing while pandemic was at its peak in Delhi and also for the delay in test reports that made it difficult to get timely treatment," Gupta questioned.
Gautam Gambhir, the east Delhi MP, alleged that low testing led to the further spread of coronavirus in the national capital.
Attacking the Kejriwal government for allegedly not making adequate arrangements to deal with the surging COVID-19 cases over the past few days, the cricketer-turned-politician claimed people were made to run from pillar to post for getting tested.
"The Kejriwal government is responsible for this high number of deaths in the city. People were made to pay exorbitant charges for the tests and the Delhi government did not do anything to control the situation," Gambhir charged.
Even a year since the outbreak, the number of testing facilities have not been expanded and private labs are getting away with charging whatever fee they want, he claimed.
North West Delhi MP Hans alleged testing was not enough in rural pockets and in the unauthorised colonies of the city.
The AAP in a statement termed BJP allegations "frivolous", and claimed the Delhi government has consistently been testing the highest numbers nationally.
The numbers in Delhi at 4,000 tests per million population are four times the national average, it said.
"The BJP has no moral authority to question us on Covid management after sending crores of vaccines of our children abroad purely to build their image globally," read the statement.
The AAP further claimed testing in Delhi was "far better" than that in BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.