BENGALURU: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday greenlighted a complete lockdown to control the Covid-19 situation in the State, if the government were to decide on the same. Even as opposition leaders like Siddaramaiah insisted that the all-party meeting called for by the Governor was unconstitutional, Vala defended his move, citing the unprecedented situation of the pandemic.
While Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who is recuperating from a Covid reinfection in hospital, and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar represented measures taken by the government to keep lives as well livelihoods going, JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy demanded a complete lockdown. The Congress, on the other hand, demanded accountability from the government for ignoring the Technical Advisory Committee’s recommendations and failing to prepare for the second wave, despite warnings. Even as the State said that a complete lockdown would adversely impact the economy, Governor Vala insisted that a healthy Karnataka should be the priority.
“It should be a healthy Karnataka and not a wealthy Karnataka,” a statement from Raj Bhavan said, attributing the quote to the Governor. Vala also asked the State government to take strong steps to contain the pandemic. Within hours after the meeting, the State government issued fresh guidelines, extending night curfew and introducing weekend lockdowns in Karnataka till May 4.
The virtual all-party meeting saw leaders from BJP, Congress and JDS presenting their suggestions. “The government has made a huge mistake by not taking the TAC’s recommendations seriously. There is a shortage of beds, medicines and oxygen and no accountability is being fixed,” said Siddaramaiah, accusing the government of allowing the situation to go out of hand. He insisted that a health emergency be declared immediately, and all funds be diverted to tackle the pandemic.