Yogi’s Covid hotspot trips a succour to BJP MPs, MLAs

Lucknow: With its own senior functionaries raising their voices against the alleged loopholes in the management of the second Covid wave, the state BJP leadership has gone into an overdrive to address the issue at the micro level. The whirlwind tour of Covid hotspots by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, immediately after recovering for Corona, has also come as a succour to party MPs and MLAs ranks who have been facing the heat in their respective constituencies in the wake of raging second Covid wave.

“The CM who is leading from the front to implement Covid control measures of his government, has to also rise to save the party’s representatives from the people’s displeasure,” says a party insider.

Union minister of state for labour and employment Santosh Gangwar recently wrote to CM Yogi complaining about poor Covid care in his parliamentary constituency.

Earlier, Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal too had drawn the CM’s attention towards alleged lack of medical oxygen in both government and private hospitals. Likewise, BJP’s Mohanlalganj MP Kaushal Kishore had complained about vacant beds in government hospitals even as patients continue to die because of lack of beds and oxygen. Kishore, recently lost his elder brother to Covid. He had also threatened to stage a sit-in, if oxygen is not made available to the ailing—including those who are isolating at home.

Before that cabinet minister and Lucknow (Central) MLA Brijesh Pathak; Bhadohi MLA Dinanath Bhaskar and Kanpur MP Satyadev Pachauri too had written such letters to health authorities pointing out how they felt helpless as calls poured in with requests for hospital beds and medical supplies such as oxygen.

The BJP, in fact, lost four of its MLAs – Ramesh Diwakar (Auraiyya), Suresh Srivastava (Lucknow west), Kesar Singh (Bareilly) and Dal Bahadur Kori (Rae Bareli) – within a span of 15 days. Besides, two UP ministers -- Chetan Chauhan and Kamal Rani Varun -- succumbed to the virus in the first Covid wave last year.

BJP insiders said that the party leadership was not in a position to counter any allegations levelled by any party representative as it would send a wrong signal to their respective constituencies. Sources said that by approaching the party leadership, especially CM Yogi, the MPs and MLAs manage to allay apprehensions of people even as the second wave of Corona posed an enormous challenge before the state government.

“The party understands concern of the leaders and is taking appropriate action. We are also in regular touch with party MPs and MLAs who had expressed their discontent over lack of adequate facilities to meet the crisis,” said UP BJP spokesperson, Hero Bajpai, while speaking to TOI. He said the ruling BJP has to meet the crisis faced by over 22 crore people. “People and the political leaders of other parties may point out the loop holes but they should also cooperate in this time of crisis,” he said.