Science does not lie, Modi does: Rahul on WHO report

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government over a World Health Organization report which claimed that there were 4.7 million Covid deaths in India, saying "science does not lie, Prime Minister Narendra Modi does".

Gandhi also demanded that the government should support the families that have lost loved ones by giving them the mandated Rs four lakh compensation.

In a tweet, he said, "47 lakh Indians died due to the Covid pandemic. NOT 4.8 lakh as claimed by the Govt. Science doesn't LIE. Modi does".

"Respect families who've lost loved ones. Support them with the mandated ?4 lakh compensation," the former Congress chief said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party accused Rahul Gandhi of doing politics over COVID-19 deaths, alleging that the WHO's data and Congress' "beta" (son) are wrong.

At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the World Health Organisation's methodology to calculate estimated deaths in India due to the virus is "flawed" and the Indian government had conveyed its objections to the organisation.

Gandhi has tried repeatedly to lower Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image since 2014 and has in the process lowered India's image, Patra said.

India has a robust mechanism for birth and death registration, he added.

"The WHO's data and the Congress' beta are wrong," he alleged.

The WHO on Thursday stated that 14.9 million (one million=10 lakhs) people were killed either by COVID-19 directly or due to the pandemic's impact on health systems and society.

According to the report, there were 4.7 million Covid deaths in India, which is 10 times the official figures and almost a third of Covid deaths globally.

India strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the World Health Organization for projecting excess mortality estimates linked to the coronavirus pandemic in view of the availability of authentic data, saying validity and robustness of the models used and methodology of data collection are questionable.