Jharkhand CM Soren took a dig at PM Modi today saying, “PM Modi did his mann ki baat but did not listen.” Hemant Soren’s sarcastic yet sharp dig came after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he spoke on a call to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Jharkhand. Soren claimed how the Prime Minister delivered a “monologue” to him and didn’t listen to him.

Background

On May 6, the Indian Prime Minister spoke to the Chief Ministers of states such as Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha along with L-G of Puducherry and J&K. After Jharkhand’s CM was done with the call, he in an anguished mind decided to take to Twitter to tell the media how the call went.

Details

In his Tweet, the Jharkhand CM wrote, “Aaj Adarniya Pradhan Mantriji ji ne phone kiya. Unhone sirf apne mann ki baat ki. Behtar hota agar wo kaam ki baat karte aur kaam ki baat sunte (Respected Prime Minister called. He just spoke whatever was going on his mind. It would have been better had he spoken about the important issue and heard me on the same).

Although the details of the call could not be ascertained, NDTV reported how sources suggested that the Jharkhand CM was quite angry to have not been heard. The sources also claimed how the Prime Minister didn’t ask much about the state’s conditions, how he could help with the required resources. He just spoke on and on which led to the CM firing such tweet.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan comes to PM’s rescue

After the sarcastic and sharp quip came from the Jharkhand CM, it was Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan who came to the Prime Minister’s rescue. In a strongly worded tweet, he said how the Jharkhand CM should fight with the virus and not with the Prime Minister.

In one tweet, Vardhan said-

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central govt has opened its treasuries for the betterment of the poor, while the Jharkhand govt has left the doors of its treasuries closed. Mr. Hemant Soren wants that Central government should do every job. Fight with Corona, not Prime Minister.”

In another tweet, Vardhan went on to say-

“Mr. Hemant Soren, perhaps you’re forgetting the dignity of the office you hold. While passing a remark against our PM during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should not forget that this crisis can only be averted by joint efforts. To express out your anger on PM Modi while concealing your failure is condemnable.”

It should be noted that this is not the first time Harsh Vardhan has come to the rescue of PM Modi. Earlier when former PM Manmohan Singh gave a few suggestions to the Modi govt to manage the COVID-19 pandemic better, Harsh Vardhan had replied with a petty statement. Vardhan had said how Mr. Singh should give the suggestions to his own party members before giving it to the Centre.

Current situation in Jharkhand

Currently, Jharkhand is in the list of 10 states that are contributing to more than 75% of daily COVID-19 deaths in India. These 10 states include Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Haryana.

The state’s infection tally is at 2,70,089 with almost 7,000 new cases on May 6. The state also registered 133 casualties on Thursday taking the death toll to 3,479. But perhaps the most alarming fact is that Jharkhand’s mortality is as high as 1.28%, which is more than the national average mortality rate that’s 1.10%. The state is also not showing as many recoveries with recovery rate at 76.26% against 82% that’s the national average.