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Rahul Gandhi writes to PM Modi, says national lockdown 'almost inevitable'
Rahul Gandhi said that it is important to understand India's responsibility in a globalised and interconnected world.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the surge of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and said that a national lockdown had become “almost inevitable as the Covid tsunami continues to ravage the country unabated”.
"In such an unprecedented crisis, the people of India must be your foremost priority. I urge you to do everything in your power to stop the needless suffering that our people are going through," Gandhi added.
He said that it is important to understand India's responsibility in a globalised and interconnected world. "India is home to one out of every six human beings on the planet. The pandemic has demonstrated that our size, genetic diversity and complexity make India fertile ground for the virus to rapidly mutate, transforming itself into a more dangerous form. The double and triple mutant strains that we are currently grappling with are only the beginning, I fear," he further said.
Gandhi asserted that allowing the uncontrollable spread of the coronavirus would be devastating not only for India but also for the world.
Slamming the central government over its Covid-19 vaccination strategy, Gandhi said, “Your government’s lack of a clear and coherent Covid and vaccination strategy, as well as its hubris in declaring premature victory as the virus was exponentially spreading, has placed India in a highly dangerous position. Today the disease is growing explosively. It is currently on the verge of overwhelming all of our systems. Government of India’s failures have made another devastating national lockdown almost inevitable.”
Assuring PM Modi of Congress’ support, Gandhi said various stakeholders must be taken into confidence so that “all can work together to safeguard India since otherwise it could become a fertile ground for the virus to mutate and transform into a more contagious and dangerous form."
Four points that Gandhi highlighted as urgent issues to be addressed without delay in the letter:
- Scientifically tracking the virus and its mutations across the country using genome sequencing and disease patterns.
- Dynamically assessing the efficacy of all vaccines against new mutations
- Speeding up the vaccination process
- Being transparent and keeping people informed.
The Congress leader said that the government must act with compassion and provide critical financial and food support to the most vulnerable people. "In addition, it must be ready with a transportation strategy for those who will require it."
India on Friday logged 4,14,188 Covid-19 cases and 3,915 deaths according to the Union health ministry.
