Coronavirus lockdown | Opposition leaders taunt PM for candle light initiative

Several Opposition leaders have rebuked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to light candles or torches at 9 pm on April 5 to fight the 'darkness of novel coronavirus'.

PM Modi urged all Indians to go to their balconies this weekend and light a lamp or candle to at 9 pm for nine minutes in a short video message on April 3.

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Among Opposition leaders who reacted sharply to this was Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. He was joined by leaders like P Chidambaram and Mahua Moitra shortly who took to social media to taunt the gesture.

Listened to the Pradhan Showman. Nothing about how to ease people’s pain, their burdens, their financial anxieties. No vision of the future or sharing the issues he is weighing in deciding about the post-lockdown. Just a feel-good moment curated by India’s Photo-Op PrimeMinister!

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— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 3, 2020

Dear @narendramodi, We will listen to you and light diyas on April 5. But, in return, please listen to us and to the wise counsel of epidemiologists and economists.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 3, 2020

Turn out lights & come on balconies?

GET REAL MR. MODI! Give India fiscal pkg worth 8-10pc of GDP Ensure immediate wages to construction & other labour during lockdown- laws exist permitting this Stop gagging real press in name of curbing fake news — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 3, 2020

Notably, this is the second such collective gesture that the PM has called for since the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus in India. The first one was scheduled on March 22 – the day the Janata Curfew was imposed. After the curfew ended, he had asked people to come to their balconies and ring a bell, clap, or clang utensil as a mark of their respect and support of healthcare workers who are on the frontline of fighting the disease.

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