Coronavirus: ‘Save your own lives, PM Modi is busy with a peacock,’ says Rahul Gandhi
The Congress leader and his party colleagues have been consistent in their criticism of the Centre amid the crisis.
by Scroll StaffCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a fresh attack against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led administration related to India’s escalating coronavirus crisis, asking people to save their own lives since the prime minister was “busy with a peacock”.
“The number of coronavirus cases will cross 50 lakh this week and India will have 10 lakh active cases,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. “The unplanned lockdown is the product of one person’s ego, which has caused the coronavirus to spread across the country.”
Gandhi added: “The Modi government told people to be self-sufficient. This means you have to save your own lives because the prime minister is busy with a peacock.”
Gandhi was referring to viral videos of Modi feeding a peacock at his official residence in Delhi. The prime minister had shared the videos on social media last month.
The Congress leader’s critical tweet came on the first day of the Parliament’s Monsoon session. The government and the Opposition sparred over the cancellation of Question Hour. The 18-day session is also likely to witness debates on Gross Domestic Product figures and the border tensions with China.
Gandhi did not attend the sitting as he flew abroad on Saturday with his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for her medical check-up, according to several reports. They are likely to stay out of the country for 10 days and miss a major portion of the session.
The Congress leader and his party colleagues have consistently criticised the Centre’s strategy to handle the coronavirus situation, Chinese intrusion and the Facebook hate speech row. Last week, the party launched an online campaign against the Centre over unemployment in the country. A host of party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge, tweeted using hashtag #SpeakUpForJobs, urging people to speak up against the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
India has now become the world’s second-worst coronavirus-hit country. It has reported 48,46,428 cases and over 79,000 deaths so far.
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