Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C), issued the following statement on 8 April 2020:
The utterly shameless way in which the BJP-led Indian government has virtually capitulated before the open threat of retaliatory action by US President Trump and overturned the notification of complete ban imposed just two days back on export of Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug being given to the Covid-19 patients, has again brought to the fore that this government has least concern for the suffering countrymen and is more keen to keep the US imperialist rulers in good humour for serving the narrow sectarian class interest of the ruling monopolists aspiring to firm up the position of imperialist India as a formidable super-power, not only in Asia but in the world with the backing of US imperialism. Though the Indian government claims that there is enough stock of this medicine which is also the key drug to treat rheumatic arthritis patients, fact is that the patients who are approaching the pharma stores with valid prescriptions are returning empty-handed indicating severe scarcity of the medicine. Even a Kolkata-based pharmaceutical company of national fame in the government sector which is a major producer of the drug and is, of late, desperately seeking financial assistance from the government to stave off sickness, is also reported to be starved of raw material to boost production at this critical juncture. The union government which could spend Rs 3000 crore to install a statue or allot Rs 20,000 crores for central vista beautification near the Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan, however, has not yet come out with any rescue package for this renowned company even at this time of extreme need.
This incident once again exposes the brazenly cruel and
inhuman face of the imperialist rulers who, even at a time the mankind
is faced with a such a catastrophe, are only driven by their profit
motive, commercial interest, money making and penchant for establishing
political supremacy and domination.
