DMK President MK Stalin on Monday held a press conference via video where he asked the ruling AIADMK government about the alleged mismanagement in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Leader of Opposition alleged that the government through its lackadaisical policies had allowed the virus to spread and also failed to provide accurate data on the number of deaths caused by the virus.
Tamil Nadu has so far reported 44,661 cases as well as 435 deaths in the state. The number of patients have been increasing despite multiple lockdowns and restrictions set out by the state government. DMK chief MK Stalin through a flow chart, pointed out in the press conference that the government did not correctly implement rules and also argued that they failed to predict the extent of damage that virus could cause.
In addition to this, Stalin was particularly critical of the government's lack of transparency when it came to reporting deaths.
"The AIADMK government has been careless and arrogant," he told the media. "There has been a delay in reporting deaths and this cannot be ignored. We saw reports that the death of 236 persons has not been reported. These are not just statistics. These people are someone's son, parents or relatives. When everyone is waiting for information from the government, they are hiding numbers and this is dangerous," he added.
Stalin finally put forth five questions to the Chief Minister and warned that his party would have to approach the court if they were not answered. This included -
1. You claim that your government is functioning efficiently and that there is no community transmission - then why are the number of cases increasing?
2. What is your plan to reduce the number of cases in Chennai?
3. You keep forming committees but what have they found and recommended?
4. Why is the government not consulting all parties in the state about the pandemic?
5. What will you do to increase fund allocation for the needy and to address unemployment and economic issues?
As part of the DMK's suggestion to handle the pandemic, he suggested that the government undertake more focussed isolation of areas with high incidences of coronavirus, give families Rs.5000 to tide over this crisis and deliver rations to people's houses if they are affected, like the Kerala government did.