Kolkata: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday alleged that instead of working on a plan to revive the economy and fix the lacunes in the healthcare sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to turn the coronavirus pandemic into a "political event".
Hitting out at Modi who urged people to light lamps, candles or mobile phone torches at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the coronavirus, the leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha said the prime minister should stop doing politics over the issue.
"Instead of working on a plan to revive the economy and fix the lacunes in the health sector, the prime minister is trying to divert the attention of the people from these gaps. What purpose will lighting a lamp serve when people are losing jobs and starving. Such diversionary tactics won't work," Chowdhury said in a video message shared with journalists.
He said Modi and his party BJP are trying to turn the pandemic into a "political event".
"I will neither switch off my lights nor will switch on my mobile phone flash. I don't believe in such absurd things. Will clanging utensils and switching on cell phone torches solve all the problems?" the Congress leader questioned.