Congress disconnected from ground reality: Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has hit back at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her charge that the government went into a 'mute spectator' mode which led to a 'painful' situation during the second wave of Covid-19. Adityanath, who is visiting hospitals across the state to review the situation, told India TV that the Congress party and its leaders are disconnected from the ground reality.

He rubbished charges that the government is hiding coronavirus death figures, saying "everything is available on the portal" and data is updated daily.

"Uttar Pradesh has conducted maximum Covid tests. The opposition was saying that UP is not doing enough testing, but we have so far done 5 crore tests and still conducting 3.5 lakh tests daily," the Chief Minister said.

"The opposition is to be blamed for the poor health infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh," he added.

"In the last 6-7 years, the government has ramped up the health infrastructure... be it setting up new AIIMS, providing advanced life support ambulances to districts or provide medicines in villages. The government has continuously bolstered the health-related infrastructure and facilities," he said.

On Priyanka's charge, he said, "This shows that the person is unaware about the reality." The government's '3T' formula of tracing, testing and treatment to tackle the crisis is yielding results, he added.

To a question about Samajwadi Party workers 'purifying' the Safai helipad after his visit, he said, "At least they have accepted that the gangajal is pavitra (pure)."

On the government's preparations for the third wave, he said, "The government is working to increase beds and medical facilities. 100 beds pediatric ICU is being set up in medical colleges. Such beds will also be available at district hospitals and community health centres."

Priyanka Gandhi has accused the government of colossal mismanagement of the Covid crisis. On Tuesday, she accused the government of not providing medical facilities to the people of Uttar Pradesh. On Tuesday, she alleged that 'countless' lives have been lost during the second wave and asserted the government must be held accountable so that those in power understand their responsibility towards the country.

Meanwhile, active cases in Uttar Pradesh dropped below one lakh. UP, the most populous state in the country is the first state to conduct over three lakh tests in one day.