Reacting to PM Modi’s 6 pm address on Tuesday, 20 October, Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed his discontentment, taking to Twitter to say: “It is easy to give sermons, what our country needs is concrete solutions.”
In a joint statement with Congress leader Pawan Khera, Surjewala demanded that the PM answer for the failure of leadership amidst the pandemic.
“It is easy to preach” they said, adding that India has become the ‘corona capital’ of the world, with the highest rate of rising infections.
“As of October 19, India tops in the daily rise in cases of COVID-19 when, as per official data, the country reported 55,722 cases of the virus,” Surjewala further said in the statement.
A day before the address, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had posted a tweet that corroborate Surjewala and Khera’s claims. He posted a ranking table by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the grim statistics showing India’s decreasing GDP and increasing COVID mortality rate.
On Tuesday, ahead of the PM’s address, he went on to tweet that he hoped PM Modi will “tell the nation the date by which you (he) will throw the Chinese out of Indian territory.”
PM Modi’s Address
The opposition’s rebuttals came after PM Modi’s address on Tuesday, where he urged the public to “not let the COVID situation deteriorate.”
“In this festive season, markets are bright again, but we need to remember that the lockdown might have ended but COVID-19 still persists. With the efforts of every Indian over last 7-8 months, India is in a stable situation we must not let it deteriorate,” he said.
Calling for continued adherence to practices such as wearing of masks and physical distancing, Modi said, "Recently, we saw many photos and videos where it is clearly seen that people are not careful anymore. This isn't right. If you step out without mask, you put your families at risk. We must remember – whether it is America or Europe, cases declined and then there was a sudden spike.”
The PM, during his address, also drew attention to India performing better than other countries on various COVID-19 parameters such as the recovery rate and the case fatality rate.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)