CPI(M) pushes back against Congress-BJP bid to reignite PPE kit purchase controversy

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has pushed back against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political gambit to reignite a COVID-19 era corruption controversy piggybacking on the latest CAG report that pointed to a loss of ₹10 crore to the exchequer in the purchase of PPE kits during the pandemic. 

CPI(M) Central Committee member Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister during the pandemic, told The Hindu that there were several anomalies in the CAG’s report, which he said seemed to have the contours of a “political hit-job”. 

(The CAG’s primary finding was that the government purchased PPE kits at an allegedly exaggerated cost ranging from ₹800 to ₹1,500 for a single piece when the pre-pandemic price for the gear was a mere ₹545 a unit, causing significant loss to the exchequer.)

Dr. Isaac said it was “preposterous” to draw a misleadingly incriminating comparison between the pre-pandemic price of PPE kits and their price during the COVID-19 crisis. 

He noted that the demand for PPE kits peaked during the plague, sending the market price of the essential gear spiralling upwards. The agencies contracted by the government to supply PPE kits failed to meet even a quarter of the orders. 

Sensing the nationwide scarcity, the Centre counselled States to purchase PPE kits and medical oxygen at any available rate, given their essential role in controlling the pandemic, preventing deaths, and protecting caregivers from contracting the disease.

Consequently, the government formed an emergency purchase committee to counter the crisis. It stocked up on PPE kits and medical oxygen in sufficient numbers, pre-empting the kind of large-scale deaths witnessed in other regions in the country. Dr Thomas also pointed out that the CAG had failed to factor in the different market rates for diverse PPE kits.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the CAG’s report vindicated the Opposition’s accusations in the Assembly. They held the government accountable for allegedly giving a pecuniary advantage to “favoured” medical equipment supplies at taxpayers’ expense. BJP leader V. Muraleedharan demanded a CBI inquiry into the PPE kit purchase “scam”.