Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet, on Friday slammed the Narendra Modi government’s strategy and claimed that after imposing a “Tughlaqi lockdown,” it is now banking on divine intervention to fight COVID-19.
Mr. Gandhi, who was scheduled to address a press conference on the second wave, however, cancelled it.
Party insiders say he along with other senior leaders may do so after a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday.
“The Central government’s COVID-19 strategy -- Stage 1- Impose a Tughlaqi lockdown, Stage 2- Ring bells, Stage 3- Sing praises to the Lord,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.
On Instagram, he also shared a video clip of his comment from a virtual press conference last year on April 16 on how the lockdown will only allow authorities to ramp up medical facilities but the virus will return.
Mr. Gandhi juxtaposed with a video of a news clip of hospital facilities being overwhelmed with fresh COVID-19 cases, in an attempt to convey that precious little was done in the past one year.
‘Mismanaged situation’
The Congress has been criticising the handling of the pandemic by the Modi government and party chief Sonia Gandhi, at a recent meeting with Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States, accused the Centre of mismanagement.
“The Modi government has mismanaged the situation — exported vaccine and allowed a shortage to be created in India. Mass gatherings for elections and religious events have accelerated COVID for which all of us are responsible to some extent. We need to accept this responsibility and keep the interest of the nation above our own,” Ms. Gandhi told her party colleagues at the virtual meet on April 10.
