The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing day by day in almost every state in India. The vaccination drive has begun, and medical equipment, beds, vaccines, oxygen have been imported to India from various countries. Still, patients are facing a shortage of beds and ICUs. There is even a waiting list for crematoriums. Along with states like Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand is not doing well either.
Ranchi, the capital city, has also reported a shortage of beds. On May 6, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conversed with the Chief Ministers of Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana to discuss the rising number of COVID-19 cases. However, the phone call didn’t go well with the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Mr. Hemant Soren. After talking with PM, Mr. Soren has tweeted, “Today, the respected Prime Minister called. He only spoke his “Mann ki Baat.” PM must have talked about business and listened to the issues.”
आज आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री जी ने फोन किया। उन्होंने सिर्फ अपने मन की बात की। बेहतर होता यदि वो काम की बात करते और काम की बात सुनते।
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) May 6, 2021
Sources close to Mr. Soren’s said that he was not happy because he was not allowed to put forth his views, as Prime Minister was the one who kept talking. PM was not listening to Mr. Soren, and he was just talking about what to do. He did not get the opportunity to speak on the state’s issues- for adequate supplies of medicines and equipment to fight COVID more effectively.
The tweet of Mr. Soren didn’t go well with the BJP leaders, and they advised Soren to learn to respect and maintain the post’s decorum. BJP leader Babulal Marandi tweeted, “Hemant Soren is a failed Chief Minister. Failure in Governance. Failure in tackling COVID-19 in the state. Failure to assist people. To hide his failure, he demeans the office he holds. Wake up and work, Mr. Soren. The clock is ticking.”
Congress leaders backed Mr. Soren and said that the prime minister only wants to talk and not listen; it is very worrying. Former CM of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das said, if Hemant Soren cannot handle the state, he should hand over the power to the center.
Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said Hemant Soren wants the center to do everything but keeps the state treasury shut. The Health Minister added that it’s a difficult situation we need to fight with Coronavirus and not with Prime Minister. After facing wrath from the opposition party on Thursday, Soren digitally inaugurated a 528 bed in COVID-19 hospital at Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical science (RIMS). Mr. Soren said 108 more beds would be set up. On Wednesday, Mr. Soren has inaugurated 250 beds at a dedicated COVID health center at Koderma.
Jharkhand is among the ten states and Union Territories, where over 75 percent of daily COVID-19 deaths are recorded. On May 6, 2021 Thursday, Jharkhand reported 141 deaths and 5,770 active cases of Coronavirus. The state’s mortality rate is higher at 1.28 percent, where the national mortality rate is at 1.19 percent.
