Karnataka's COVID-19 Situation Is So Bad That Health Minister Says Only God Can Save The State
With a total of 47,253 cases so far, Karnataka is emerging as one of the worst COVID-19 affected states in India.?Karnataka recently overtook Gujarat to become the state with the fourth-highest number of cases in the country.?
But a remark made by state Health Minister B Sriramulu, who also heads Karnataka¡¯s COIVD-19 task force has triggered panic and political controversy in the state.
¡°Only God can save us, and we have to bring in caution on our own,¡± he said on Wednesday in Chitradurga.
Responding to questions about the state¡¯s response to the pandemic, he said, ¡°World over, the cases are doubling indiscriminately. It (virus) does not differentiate between poor and rich or choose a community or religion. There is no class or caste difference. The cases are 100% going to increase from now.¡±
The opposition was quick to accuse the government of failing to control the coronavirus spread and blamed it due to lack of coordination and differences between ministers, mainly between Sriramulu and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar.
After the controversy, Sriramulu said his remarks were 'misinterpreted'.
"Tell me whose hand it is (to control the disease). Only God has to save us all. Awareness among people is the only way," he said.
He later posted a video on Twitter, saying ¡°I had said that besides people¡¯s cooperation, God should also protect us but some media interpreted that Sriramulu has become helpless with respect to coronavirus spread."
¡°My intention behind saying so was that till the time a vaccine comes, it is only God who can save us. It should not be wrongly interpreted,¡± he added.
"This is a clarification regarding my words that have been misinterpreted and misunderstood. While responding to claims of the opposition that the government's negligence, irresponsibility and the lack of coordination among ministers are responsible for the rise in cases in the state, I stated that 'these accusations are far from the truth. People need to be aware and cautious to avoid the spread of the virus. This plays a vital role in controlling the pandemic.
If we fail at this crucial step, the situation can get complicated. And if things go worse, then only God can save us. These were the words used out of caution. There's no need create panic in the public," he said in a series of tweets, addressing to Congress leader DK Shivakumar.
In Karnataka, Bengaluru is the worst affected area with a total of 22,942 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
