AHMEDABAD: With COVID-19 cases mounting to 20,574 and the fatality count nearing 1,300 in Gujarat, the Congress on Tuesday asked the BJP government to issue a white paper on its strategy to tackle the situation.
State Congress unit president Amit Chavda said people have been suffering because of the "failure" of the BJP which has been in power since the last 25 years.
He pointed out that the COVID-19 mortality rate of Gujarat is the highest at 6.26 % in the country.
Chavda also questioned the steps taken by the state government to contain the virus spread despite warnings issued by the WHO as early as in January this year.
"Nearly 1,000 people have died in Ahmedabad where the BJP has been at the helm for the last 15 years. People are suffering because of the BJP's inability to govern," he alleged.
Contrary to claims made by the government on availability of beds for patients, people are dying as they are being turned away by hospital authorities.
"We demand that the government issue a white paper stating measures taken so far to control the pandemic and future plans, as there is no decline in COVID-19 cases," Chavda added.
He suggested creation of an online dashboard displaying real-time availability of beds in hospitals, especially in worst-hit Ahmedabad.
Chavda also accused the government of reducing the number of tests in a bid to "project a rosy picture" and alleged that an IAS officer who favoured more tests was shunted out.