Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress today, accusing the opposition party of "playing petty politics" while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19 infection "are being lauded domestically and globally". In a tweet posted this evening, Mr Shah urged the Congress to "think of national interest and stop misleading people".
The attack on the Congress came hours after the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, met via video conference - to maintain social distancing protocols during the 21-day lockdown ordered by the Prime Minister - and criticised the Narendra Modi government for "the unplanned manner in which it (the nationwide lockdown) has been implemented". "The 21-day national lockdown may have been necessary but the unplanned manner in which it has been implemented has caused chaos and pain in the lives of millions of migrant workers all over India," interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said at the CWC meeting.
Sonia Gandhi urged the country and the government to "come together for their (the poor and migrants) sake and do all we can to support them through the difficult days that lie ahead".Much of the Congress's criticism has centred around the lockdown's impact on migrant workers.Fifty people have died after being infected by the novel coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry said today. Across the country nearly 2,000 cases have been confirmed, with 437 being reported on Wednesday alone; this was the largest single-day jump in cases so far.