Congress MLA Priyank Kharge slams Centre over handling of 'second' COVID-19 wave

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 22 : Former minister and Congress MLA Priyank Kharge slammed the BJP-led Central government allegedly for ignoring coronavirus "second" wave in the country.
"The state and central governments are again playing with people's lives and ignoring corona second wave. The infection was initially overlooked, it would not have been so widespread in the country if the government had immediately quarantined foreigners on time," Kharge said.
"People are being fined for only wearing masks but only the government is not fulfilling its responsibilities," he said.
The former Minister said that while the new strain of coronavirus is active in England and spreading 70 per cent faster than COVID-19, the central government did not take up the issue "seriously".
"Our country's health department did not take up the issue seriously and waking up now. The government of India held a special meeting on Monday after a number of other countries blocked flights to England, with the announcement of a lockdown there on Sunday. However, the Union Health Minister has said that our government is not too cautious," Kharge said.
On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been found in the UK.

"Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," he had tweeted.