Team Herald
PORVORIM: The Goa Legislative Assembly congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and two pharma companies producing vaccines against COVID-19 amidst the opposition’s backlash on the government for the lack of facilities during the peak of the pandemic in the country.
In the two-hour long discussion on the congratulatory motion moved by ruling MLA Subhash Shirodkar and Independent legislator Rohan Khaunte, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai also questioned the confidence among the legislators to take the anti-COVID-19 shot. In fact, Khaunte and Sardesai recommended that all 40 MLAs be given the vaccine.
“Don’t give false sense of confidence,” Sardesai warned. “The vaccination program in India has become the largest in the world and it has to be supported. One has to speak good about PM Modi because it is the largest programme in the world and by doing this we don’t have to give false sense of confidence,” he further said.
The ex-deputy CM took a dig at the government claiming its supporter Churchill Alemao (NCP MLA) did not have the confidence in the vaccine. “Churchill says he has no confidence in the vaccine. When an ex-CM, ex-MP and a big supporter of BJP has no confidence in the vaccine, it raises question,” Sardesai.
He also pointed out the absence of transparency into vaccinations’ phase-3 trial while calling the entire issue as ‘farce and carnaval.’
On the vaccine’s roll out plan in India, Sardesai lamented that Goa ranks 23, seventh from the last and demanded that the government should stop politics over the pandemic.
Porvorim legislator Rohan Khaunte also took the opportunity to slam the government for ignoring his suggestions during the initial stage of COVID-19 in the state. “I have been giving suggestions, although it fell on deaf ears. There was immediate lockdown and no preparedness. The senior citizens, Goans faced problems. The seafarers were stranded. Then Goa was in the Green Zone and the Chief Minister took the decision for a strict lockdown. We went through a lot of hell. I am saying this because there was no groceries, no milk, no bread,… no such arrangements were in place,” he saidm while adding, “There were nonetheless more warriors from the panchayat and volunteers who went house-to-house to deliver groceries.”
The legislator, who also pointed out the lack of medical and food facilities for COVID-19 patients and discrepancies in the SOPs, was supported by Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. The Curtorim legislator added severe impact on Goa due to “madness, immaturity and weak leadership” while hinting at CM Pramod Sawant.
Khaunte also blamed the government for allowing VVIPs from red zones in other states and having their second homes in Goa, to enter the State. He alleged it created more load on Goa. Another instance that he cited was when COVID-19 cases were on a rise in Mangor Hill, at which time the CM refused for a lockdown in the area. “This led to Goa moving towards the Red Zone,” he added. COVD-19 deceased, Khaunte said, should also be termed as warriors.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane intervened to deny shortage of oxygen in Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC).
The opposition also referred to problems faced by migrants during the initial stage of the pandemic in the country.”What is good is good, but what’s bad should also be spoken. The way many things were handled was bad,” Lourneco said.
CM Sawant said the world was looking at India and especially PM Modi for the way the pandemic situation was handled. Minister Mauvin Godinho and Nilesh Cabral also asked the opposition to appreciate India’s handling of the crisis unlike USA and UK where the situation deteriorated. MLA Clafasio Dias, who was the first MLA to be infected with the virus, claimed this was his second like after successfully fighting COVID-19.
Rane said that the govt has taken every step that is required to counter the virus and claimed that GMC provided free treatment to the patients infected with the virus, which also included some VVIPs. Sharing his personal experience, Rane said people have faith in getting treatment at GMC. Rane’s father and senior congress leader Pratapsingh Rane and mother Vijaya Devi Rane tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While the minister’s mother has tested negative, the Poriem MLA continues to battle the virus.
