Why have party-specific COVID-19 fund? Congress asks BJP

The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday criticised the opposition BJP for setting up a party- specific fund for its elected representatives to donate for fight against the novel coronavirus. State BJP president Chandrakant Patil had last week announced that all party legislators, corporators and MPs would contribute to the calamity fund of the party.

State Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant termed the BJP's move as "insensitive". "The need of the hour is to unitedly fight the virus but the BJP has asked its legislators, Members of Parliament, members of local bodies to donate their one month's salary to the party's calamity fund.

"Salaries are paid to them from public money but instead of making donations in the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, the party is having it's own fund. Isn't this anti- Maharashtra?" Sawant asked. BJP leaders are giving non-scientific solutions to tackle the coronavirus, he said.

"They are saying cow dung and cow urine can cure people of the virus. BJP (spokesman) Avdhut Wagh crossed all limits when he said Islampur, which is NCP leader and minister Jayant Patil's hometown, got coronavirus patients as punishment for Patil's criticism of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi," Sawant said. Sawant said when the MVA government was effectively handling the coronavirus situation, the BJP was showing lack of seriousness towards the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)