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Days after getting emotional in the Rajya Sabha, during the ongoing monsoon session, while speaking of deaths in the second wave of COVID-19 and government's 'mishandling' of the corona crisis, RJD MP Manoj Jha speaks exclusively to The Quint on COVID 'mismanagement', Pegasus Project and upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
You asked for an apology from the government to the families of those who died during the second surge of COVID-19. Is a mere apology enough?
Many people lost their lives during the COVID-19 second wave, not just due to a virus but also because of government's mishandling of the pandemic. Many people died due to oxygen shortage, a fact the government has denied. We all know someone we lost in the pandemic. The nation is still grieving. An apology to the families of the deceased is the least the government can do. An apology is not enough, but at least it will send across a message.
Who is responsible for the floating bodies in Ganga, for the unnamed bodies along the riverbanks and for all those who died, gasping for oxygen?
The government and the government-aligned media called these deaths a 'system failure'? Who is the system? What is this system failure? Prime Minister and his ministers make up the system. Isn't the prime minister responsible for system failures? If vaccine certificates can have Narendra Modi's photo, so can COVID death certificates. The government denied deaths due to oxygen shortage in the highest forum of democracy, our Parliament. Were the families and close ones of those who died gasping for oxygen lying? An efficient government is one that accepts mistakes and apologises.
Will the opposition forget about the Pegasus row soon, like the Rafale scam? Why is the opposition silent on Rafale scam and Panama papers?
Pegasus snoopgate will haunt us for a very long time. Look at the people who are on the list. Are opposition leaders, a sitting Supreme Court judge, Modi's ministers and RSS leaders threat to national security? Why were they snooped on? The government needs to answer.
The opposition is not silent on Rafale scam or Panama papers. The voice of the opposition is often silenced by the mainstream media. And a newspaper that dares to show the truth and report on government's mismanagement faces income tax raids. This clearly shows the government's insecurity on national security issues.
Is the opposition strong? Is the opposition united in Uttar Pradesh?
The opposition is united and strong. And ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition parties in the state must come together and fight unitedly against the BJP government.
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