State BJP chief questions night curfew, Cong wants lockdown

PATNA The Bihar unit of the BJP, a constituent of the ruling alliance NDA, has questioned the state government’s decision to enforce night curfew and wondered how it will help control the surge of Covid cases

PATNA

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The Bihar unit of the BJP, a constituent of the ruling alliance NDA, has questioned the state government’s decision to enforce night curfew and wondered how it will help control the surge of Covid cases.

“This is not going to help and is not enough a measure to control the rise in Covid cases,” wrote BJP state president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal in his Facebook post.

Jaiswal, a doctor by profession, said Bihar may face situation like “Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh” if the decision was not rectified.

The state government on Sunday had announced imposing night curfew from Monday from 9 pm till 5 am, besides closing malls, cinema halls, parks, schools, colleges and religious places till May 15.

“Bihar government has taken many decisions which were necessary in present context. I am not an expert but fail to understand as to how night curfew will stop spread of virus. We need to enforce lockdown from Friday evenings till Monday mornings. By keeping themselves closeted in house for 62 hours, people will come to know about their disease and spread of virus will be contained,” he said and claimed to have made this suggestion at an-all party meeting convened by the Governor on Saturday.

“The situation in Bihar will become like that of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh if the strict curfew is not imposed,” he said.

The Bihar Congress, on the other hand, favoured a lockdown. “At a time when the pandemic has gone out of control, night curfew, as announced by the government, would hardly prove to be of any help,” said All India Congress Committee (AICC) media panelist and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra.

He said the state government should at least impose selective lockdown in the districts of high incidence, like Patna, Gaya, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, East and West Champaran and Saran, where hundreds of Covid cases are being detected every day.

State Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha, who just recovered from Covid, said the state government must enforce tough measures to contain the pandemic, besides ensuring proper medical facilities for the patients. “The lockdown shall, however, not be like the one in previous pattern, which led to deaths of many helpless people,” said Jha.

(with inputs from Subhash K Pathak)