After AAP MLA Shoaib Iqbal demanded the imposition of President's Rule in Delhi, where his party is in power, the BJP and the Congress attacked the Kejriwal government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said Iqbal's statement "substantiated" the party's stand that health services in the city had collapsed. Iqbal's statement should be seen as a suggestion made in the interest of the common citizen, Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar Chaudhary said.
Iqbal, the Matia Mahal MLA, who left the Congress and contested the Delhi Assembly polls last year on an AAP ticket, said neither him nor the government are able to offer any help to the people affected by the second wave of COVID-19. "I feel embarrassed being an MLA since I cannot be of use to anyone, our government is unable to stand with the people. Despite being a six-time MLA, there is no one to listen to [me] and I cannot contact anyone," Iqbal said in a video message. He urged the Delhi High Court to impose the President's Rule in the national capital with immediate effect for three months.
"Delhi is in a very bad situation, I request the Delhi High Court for imposition of President's Rule in Delhi with immediate effect otherwise there will be dead bodies across the city," the AAP MLA said. "I feel like crying, I have lost my sleep. People are desperate and unable to find medicines and oxygen. I cannot help even a friend who is in hospital without oxygen and medicines," Iqbal said.
The national capital on Thursday had recorded 395 deaths due to coronavirus, the highest since the pandemic began a year ago, and 24,235 cases with a positivity rate of 32.82 per cent, according to a bulletin issued by the city health department. This was the eighth day in a row that Delhi had recorded over 300 deaths due to COVID-19.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had cited data to ask the AAP government to explain why COVID-19 testing has gone down drastically in the national capital. A bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli noted that while earlier the testing was around one lakh, now it has reduced to 70-80,000 per day. "Your testing has gone down drastically...," the bench said and asked the Delhi government to explain it. Advocate Ankur Mahindroo, representing a petitioner, said there was no headway in testing and the government can start with RAT at mohalla clinics and mobile clinics but the testing shall not be stalled. He added that mobile vans for testing can be set up in containment zones and hospitals and such tests can be undertaken by the attendants of the patients. The court asked the government to examine this aspect and inform it on Monday.
-Inputs from agencies
