Jairam Ramesh Calls It an "Act of Depravity", Highlights Discrepancy in Death Toll
New Delhi, May 18 — The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Central government over a reported mismatch between the official COVID-19 death toll and the data from the Civil Registration System (CRS), accusing the government of gross underreporting and insensitivity during the pandemic.Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, criticised the government on social media, stating that while the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world over five years ago, India witnessed a scale of devastation "unseen for more than a century".
Highlighting alleged mismanagement, Ramesh pointed to the migrant crisis, vaccine shortages, and mass casualties during the second wave, as well as the oxygen supply failure, as moments that exposed what he called the Modi government's "cruellest and vilest impulses".
"20 Lakh Deaths in 2021 Alone," Claims Ramesh
Ramesh said the government had systematically underreported COVID-19 fatalities, and that recent CRS data revealed an additional 20 lakh deaths across India in 2021 alone, a number he claimed was nearly six times higher than the official count of 3.3 lakh deaths.He also singled out Gujarat, the prime minister's home state, for allegedly undercounting deaths on a “staggering scale,” stating that 33 times more deaths were reported in the CRS than acknowledged by the state government.
“It would be too much to expect this government to show regret or remorse for its tone-deaf actions – but when history is written, it will be sure to record this act of depravity,” Ramesh said.
Government Cites Broader Trends in Death Registrations
In response to the growing scrutiny, official sources earlier this month had noted that India's cumulative excess mortality for 2020–2021 was 9.3% above the expected level, a figure they said was lower than countries like the US, Italy, and Russia.They further attributed the rise in death registrations in the CRS to broader, ongoing trends such as population growth, matured reporting processes, and greater public awareness, rather than solely to COVID-19.
The debate over India’s true pandemic toll continues, with the opposition using newly available registration data to challenge the credibility of official figures, while the government maintains that broader statistical shifts account for much of the discrepancy.
