Congress member and the son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram complimented the Union government for its efforts to tackle Coronavirus pandemic, and said that one should not “play politics” over the issue.
Karti’s comments came in Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour even as Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi is repeatedly attacking the Modi government over its handling of the health scare and accusing it of not taking adequate measures.
Karti said the government should be complimented for its efforts. He further spoke about complaints that people, being quarantined over coronavirus suspicion, have been kept in “substandard” facilities under “unhygienic” conditions.
He said many of these people, most of whom were quarantined following their return from abroad, have the wherewithal for self-isolation and should be allowed to do so.
Rahul Gandhi today, also took a sharp jibe at the BJP-led central government on the economic slowdown by saying, “It is like a tsunami is coming. India should be preparing itself not just for coronavirus but for the economic devastation that is coming. I am saying it again and again. Our people are going to go through an unimaginable pain in the next 6 months.”
Yesterday, Reserve Bank of India Governor, Shaktikanta Das had said there will be an impact on the Indian economy due to the deadly novel coronavirus, as India is integrated into the global economy.
The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 126 on Tuesday, even as the Government put the country in a near-total lockdown with states shutting down schools and colleges and banning gatherings.
With the positive cases of COVID-19 showing an increase, the government after a meeting of a group of ministers (GoM) proposed a set of social distancing measures to be in force till March 31.
People quarantined after return from abroad, if have wherewithal, should be allowed for self-isolation: Karti Chidambaram