Following her criticism of the Union government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic situation, BJP leaders hit back at Sonia Gandhi, terming her remarks as "unfortunate" and an unnecessary politicisation of the crisis.
BJP chief JP Nadda called Gandhi's remarks on the lockdown 'insensitive,' saying this is not time for politics but to serve the country unitedly, and also defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that Modi is taking everyone along in his handling of the situation, and his measures, including the nationwide lockdown, have "received" praise from the world, PTI reported.
"We all have to work in one direction and take on the pandemic unitedly. There will be time for politics after we defeat the coronavirus," he told reporters.
Stop Misleading People: Amit Shah
Adding that Modi's initiatives were being praised by the international community, Nadda emphasised the importance of national unity in the fight against coronavirus.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted in support of the Modi-led initiatives to battle coronavirus, saying that the Congress was playing 'petty politics.'
'High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people,' he tweeted.
The tweet was retweeted by several prominent figures, including Union Minister Harsh Vardhan.
BJP Vice President and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe called her comments 'crass negativism.'
Other BJP members, like Telangana leader NV Subhash also criticised the comments.
Earlier during the day, Gandhi had criticised the government for "unplanned" implementation of the countrywide lockdown saying it caused "chaos and pain" to millions of migrant workers.
Addressing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) through video conferencing, she said that the onus lies on the government to ensure that the spread of infection and casualties are not caused owing to lack of infrastructure or preparedness.
(With PTI inputs.)
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