‘Shameless politics’: Piyush Goyal to Uddhav Thackeray after Maharashtra complains of oxygen scarcity

When a war of words broke out between the Maharashtra government and the Center over the state’s lack of medical oxygenation for patients with coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal slammed Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday, telling Maharashtra received the highest amount of oxygen in the country and the central government is in contact with the state governments to “assess their needs and help them in the best possible way”.

“GoI and all those involved ensure maximum oxygen production in India. We are currently producing 110% of the oxygen generating capacity and diverting all of the available oxygen from industrial use to medical use, ”Goyal tweeted.

Goyal reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at Friday’s medical oxygen review meeting, where he stated that the center and states should work synergistically in this crisis, and accused Maharashtra CM Thackeray of petty politics.

Also read | Thackeray called Modi about lack of oxygen and told the Prime Minister on the Bengal tour: Minister

“He (Thackray) must stop his daily dose of shameless politics and take responsibility,” the Union Railway Minister wrote on the microblogging website, adding that the state is suffering from an incompetent and corrupt government. “The people of Maharashtra dutifully follow ‘Majha Kutumb, Majhi Javabadari’. It is time for the CM to do his duties in the spirit of Majha Rajya, Majhi Javabadari, ”he said.

During his address to the people of Maharashtra on April 13th about the worsening situation of Covid-19 disease, CM Thackeray said there is a shortage of medical oxygen, beds and an increased demand for the remdesivir drug in the state. He called on the center to use the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to provide assistance with oxygenation to the state and he would speak to the Prime Minister about this.

It’s sad to see @OfficeOfUT’s gadgetry with oxygen. GoI and all parties involved ensure maximum oxygen production in India. We currently produce 110% of the oxygen generating capacity and divert all available oxygen from industrial use to medical use.

– Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 17, 2021

On Saturday, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chairman and Minority Minister of Maharashtra, Nawab Malik, said the Prime Minister had tried to contact PM Modi about oxygen starvation and remdesivir, but PM Modi was currently on a tour to West Bengal for the ongoing elections State Assembly.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the Covid pandemic, has seen over 3.7 million cases, 59,551 deaths and 3,519,208 recoveries to date, according to the state Department of Health’s bulletin. On Friday, Maharashtra saw its highest daily increase of 63,729 new cases while 398 succumbed to infection. Aside from a weekend lockdown and weekend curfew, the state has been placed under Section 144 from April 14, 8:00 p.m. to May 1, 7:00 a.m., where no movement of residents is allowed without valid reason and all essential services from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. 8 p.m. must be operated.