Accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of trying to weaken the resolve of the country in the fight against coronavirus, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that the leader was running a campaign based on falsehood, misrepresentation and deliberate twisting of facts.
This comes a day after Rahul Gandhi said that the lockdown has failed to yield the expected results in containing the spread of coronavirus in the country.
"Ever since the crisis started, Rahul Gandhi has been trying to weaken the resolve of the country in the fight against coronavirus. This campaign is based upon falsehood, misrepresentation, and deliberate twisting of facts," Prasad said in a virtual press conference.
He also said that making unsubstantiated claims had become a trait of Rahul Gandhi.
"Excluding China, the top 15 countries of the world most affected by the coronavirus have a combined population of 142 crore people. According to a WHO report, as many as 3,43,562 people have died in these counties as on the evening of May 26," Prasad said.
"Meanwhile, India alone has a population of 137 crore and only 4,345 people have died in the country due to the virus. The recovery rate in the country is more than 41 per cent. While deaths are unfortunate, there is no cure for coronavirus," he added.
Prasad said that this success in containing the coronavirus in the country is a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and efforts to unite the country in the fight against the virus.
He also accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading negativity, working against the nation in crisis, being hungry for false credit, saying one thing and doing something else, and spreading misinformation and fake news.
The Union Minister further said that the Congress leader also opposed the Prime Minister's appeal to encourage the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals, who are at the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.
( With inputs from ANI )