Mumbai, May 22 (IANS): The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a 'Maharashtra bachao' agitation sporting black bands, carrying banners and posters criticizing the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of failure to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, here on Friday.

Spearheaded by Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, similar agitations were carried out in different parts of the state by various leaders who vociferously targeted the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance for wanting on all fronts to tackle the pandemic.

Addressing the protesters, Fadnavis alleged that though Maharashtra has 30 per cent of all patients and 40 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths in the country, the MVA has been unsuccessful in tackling the crisis.

"The hospitals are full, there are no ambulances available, there is no food in quarantine centres, private hospitals are charging exorbitant amounts due to which the common people are unable to afford Covid-19 treatment. But the government has done nothing despite the seriousness of the crisis," he said.

He demanded that the government must treat all Covid-19 patients free of cost, all private hospitals must mandatorily admit such patients and 80 percent beds in private healthcare institutions must be allotted at government rates to bring succour to the masses.

The MVA leaders flayed the BJP agitation and charged the opposition party with playing politics instead of cooperating with the government during this public health calamity.