Lucknow, May 5 : A day after the Allahabad High Court observed that the death of COVID-19 patients due to non supply of oxygen to hospitals is a criminal act, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday targeted the Uttar Pradesh government saying that chief minister Yogi Adityanath has continuously denied the lack of oxygen when the truth is that there have been many deaths due to it for which accountability should be fixed.

In stern remarks, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday observed that the death of COVID-19 patients just for non-supply of oxygen to hospitals is a criminal act, “not less than a genocide” by authorities entrusted the task to ensure the oxygen supply chain is maintained. In an apparent reference to the observation by the court, Priyanka Gandhi said the high court has shown the mirror to the government.



“The UP government has continuously denied the lack of oxygen. It has been threatening those flagging the lack of oxygen,” the Congress general secretary said in a Facebook post in Hindi on Wednesday. “While the truth is that continuously there have been deaths due to lack of oxygen and its accountability should be fixed,” she said.

The observation by the court came over some news items doing the rounds on social media regarding the death of COVID-19 patients due to lack of oxygen in Lucknow and Meerut districts. The court also ordered a probe into the incidents.

Meanwhile Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu claimed that the Party performed satisfactory in the recent Panchayat elections and is not geared up for the next year Assembly elections. “Party had won 270 district panchayat members seats besides winning a big number of village head post, remained runners-up on 571 seats and third on 711”, cited Lallu while claiming that the Party had performed well.

Mr Lallu attributed the Party’s victory to the work done on strengthening the organization besides the outstanding job done by the workers and leaders so far in extending help to the Corona victims and their family members. He claimed that the Party supported the migrants in a big number during the first phase of Covid-19 and now they were distributing medicines, oxygen converter, food grains and other necessary items to help out common people suffering from corona. He claimed that the hard work of the Party under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi would ensure a comeback of the Congress in a big way during the next Assembly elections.(UNI)