Coronavirus COVID-19: Chidambaram slams Centre, seeks free food, cash for poor

Launching a scathing attack on the Centre, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday (April 19) accused the government of failing to "protect the dignity" of the poor who have been badly hit due to the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus in India.

In a series of tweets, the former UPA minister that many people have run out of cash and are finding it tough to get food and the government should realise the plight of the poor and transfer cash and distribute free foodgrains to them. 

"There is overwhelming evidence that more and more people have run out of cash and are forced to stand in lines to collect free cooked food. Only a heartless government will stand by and do nothing," Chidambaram tweeted.

There is overwhelming evidence that more and more people have run out of cash and are forced to stand in lines to collect free cooked food. Only a heartless government will stand by and do nothing. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 19, 2020

Chidambaram also tagged PM Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and asked two "economic and moral" questions which he claimed the Centre has failed to answer.

In his first question, Chidambaram attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre for failing to transfer money to every poor family and in his second question the veteran leader had accused the Centre of not using the food grain stored in Food Corporation of India's (FCI) godowns across the country to feed the poor.

"Why cannot government save them from hunger AND protect their dignity by transferring cash to every poor family? Why can't government distribute, free of cost, a small part of the 77 million tonnes of grain with FCI to families who need the grain to feed themselves?," he tweeted.

Notably, several migrant workers have been stranded across India while seeking to reach their homes in villages after the announcement of nationwide lockdown on March 24.