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New Delhi: Former President of Congress Rahul Gandhi stressed on Friday the need to decentralize power to fight the coronavirus and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold regular talks with chief ministers and make them partners in dealing with the pandemic.
“The current fight is too centralized and needs to be decentralized. I would ask the Prime Minister to start talking to top ministers not as the boss but as a colleague as someone helping them, “Gandhi said at a press conference.
“Forget about states governed by Congress, states governed by BJP or those governed by the IPC (M). They are all India’s chief ministers and they should all be working alongside the Prime Minister. If I had to advise the Prime Minister even though it is not my place, I should definitely call every main minister in 1-2 days in an association type call, “he said.
The congressional leader told reporters via videoconference that the government must begin to make its actions transparent by cooperating with states and making them partners in decision-making.
He said the closure is not an on-off switch and it is a transition that requires the cooperation of all: the Center, the chief ministers, the district magistrates and the people of India.
“We need to decentralize power to confront the virus. If we keep this fight only in the PMO, we will lose. The Prime Minister must delegate power. If we centralize, there will be a calamity. The prime minister must trust the chief ministers and the chief ministers in turn must trust the district magistrates, “he added.
This was Gandhi’s second press conference during the closing period. The former head of Congress previously addressed the media on April 16, when he insisted that the blockade is not a solution to defeat Covid-19 but a pause button and emphasized the need for a comprehensive exit strategy to guarantee let the coronavirus do it. Do not return once restrictions are lifted.
This time, too, Gandhi asked the government to tell people what criteria it would use to open the blockade or continue it after May 17.
He reiterated his demand for immediate direct cash transfer to 50% of households in the country to allow people to overcome the crisis caused by Covid-19.
Gandhi said that financial assistance is needed immediately because the Indian economy stopped and companies began to collapse.
“It is necessary to start businesses immediately, otherwise there will be a catastrophe and we could end up creating more problems. India is all about domestic consumption and we need to start the engine now. We are wasting time. I think there is a feeling within the government that this could lead to a large deficit and create external problems. I would tell them to stop worrying about it, “he said.
