GUWAHATI: The Opposition Congress in Assam said the 14-day total lockdown to be effective in Kamrup Metro district from Sunday midnight was a “haphazard” decision taken by the state government without consulting and taking political parties, trade unions and civil society organisations into confidence.
Addressing reporters here on Saturday, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said the Opposition too was equally concerned about the abrupt spike in COVID-19 cases and community transmission in the city, and “therefore has equal responsibility” in tackling the situation.
“We have been standing behind the government’s fight against COVID-19 from day one. But the decision to impose this 14-day lockdown in the city should have been arrived at in a planned and democratic manner. Consultation in the form of an all-party meeting would have been beneficial in tackling the situation collectively,” Bora said.
“However, such a unilateral decision (for total lockdown in such short notice) has brought about a chaotic situation in the city’s markets today. From shortage of vegetables, to abrupt rise in their prices to difficulty procuring kitchen essentials owing to the rush in grocery shops, the common man, across classes, has had to suffer,” he said.
“Moreover, how can daily wage earners or petty traders have the means to stock essentials for two weeks unless the government provides relief,” he asked.
The APCC president also pointed out that people who had come to Guwahati for work or otherwise, also faced problems getting commercial vehicles to take them to their towns/villages due to the “sudden” move.
Bora further blamed the state government for the abrupt rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, alleging that the “decision to lift restrictions at one go and not in a staggered manner, unlike other states, coupled with the late arrival of returnees to the state, has led to a stage of community transmission in the city today.”
“Moreover, when states like Maharashtra, Delhi or Gujarat, which have seen substantial COVID cases, have decided not to impose total lockdown again, it is hard to understand why such a decision was taken by the Assam government as people here have become more or less immune to the virus, with the mortality rate below one per cent now,” he said.
He further questioned the yardstick of placing Congress leaders, visiting Manipur recently, in quarantine, when the same was not applicable for leaders of the ruling coalition while visiting Manipur, Guwahati or Delhi. “We condemn such misuse of the COVID protocols for political interests,” he said.