Congress leader and Former CM of Maharashtra, in the recently shared information, mentioned that the Central Government is showcasing discrimination with the Maharashtra government as the demands of medical requirements is not being addressed. Sharing more information, Chavan mentioned that Maharashtra is in need of more PPE kits, N95 masks and ventilators; however, PM Narendra Modi-led government is focused on supplying them to other states ruled by his party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The statement released by Chavan, as updated on the Hindustan Times, read, “Maharashtra has the highest Covid-19 caseload, despite which we are facing step-motherly treatment from the government of India in not only the supply of vaccines, but also in supply of quantities of critical medical equipment supplied to each state, as of 10 February 2021. As per the Lok Sabha reply, in all the categories, Gujarat was given the lion’s share of supply of medical equipment, which is disproportionate to the caseload of Covid-19.”
Data shared by him shows the following supply-related details
| State | N95 masks per 1000 patients | PPE kits per 1000 patients | Ventilators per 1000 patients |
| Gujarat | 9623 | 4951 | 13 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 3916 | 2446 | 7 |
| West Bengal | 3214 | NA | NA |
| Tamil Nadu | 2214 | NA | NA |
| Maharashtra | 1560 | 223 | 2 |
Issuing clarification regarding the same, BJP’s media cell chief Vishwas Pathak said that the government in Maharashra has once again blamed the Centre. Earlier, CM Uddhav Thackeray-led government has attacked the BJP for the GST-related isssue, lockdown. Adding more, he said that this is being done since the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) came to power in the state and often there are comparison drawn between BJP-led and non BJP states, however, no discussions are made about other states which are also focused by the Centre.
He said that the decisions are being taken as per the guidelines issued by the World Health Oganisation (WHO) and medical equipment are given basis the same. Hence, the government should focus on controlling the COVID-19 cases than playing the blame game.