NEW DELHI: Leaders of 12 opposition parties has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 situation in the country which they say has ‘assumed unprecedented dimensions’ and urged him, among other things, to provide free vaccines for all citizens and to halt the Central Vista project in Delhi.

The signatories to the joint letter include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, chief ministers Uddhav Thackeray, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, and Hemant Soren.

Other leaders who have signed the letter include National Conference leader and former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav leader of the Samajwadi Party, Tejashwi Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal, D Raja of the Communist Party of India and Sitaram Yechury lead of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

The leaders have said the Covid-19 pandemic has assumed unprecedented dimensions of a human catastrophe in the country, and that it was absolutely imperative for the Central government to undertake and implement these measures.

"Unfortunately, your government has either ignored or refused all these suggestions. This only compounded the situation to reach such an apocalyptic human tragedy," they say in the letter.

Without going into all the "acts of commission and omission" by the Central government that have brought the country to such a "tragic pass", the opposition leaders demanded that some measures suggested by them must be undertaken on a war footing.

"Procure vaccines centrally from all available sources - global and domestic. Immediately begin a free, universal mass vaccination campaign across the country. Invoke compulsory licensing to expand domestic vaccine production. Spend budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crores for the vaccines," the leaders said in their letter.

"Stop Central Vista construction. Use the allocated money for procuring oxygen and vaccines, instead. Release all money held in the unaccounted private trust fund, PM Cares to buy more vaccines, Oxygen and medical equipment required," they also told the prime minister.

The opposition leaders also demanded giving all jobless at least Rs 6,000 per month and a free distribution of foodgrains to the needy, saying over one crore tonnes of foodgrains are currently "rotting in central godowns".