The complete lockdown implemented by the State government in five cities was an “experimental attempt” to curb the spread of COVID-19, former Union minister and senior BJP leader Pon. Radhakrishnan said on Wednesday.

He was interacting with journalists on a tele conferencing platform.

“In these times, the public must cooperate with the government,” he said in an online press meet with the mediapersons in Coimbatore. Noting that the excessive crowds “in some places” due to panic buying could have been avoided, Mr. Radhakrishnan claimed that he personally saw people practising personal distancing outside shops in Chennai on March 25, a day before the complete lockdown came into force.

Regarding the allegations that the State government purchased rapid test kits at a higher cost, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that opposition parties must not politicise the issue given the current situation. “If you speak in such a manner at this time, the people will lose hope,” he claimed. On the controversy around the setting up of the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) by the Central government, he rubbished the allegations regarding lack of transparency and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “beyond corruption.”

The former Union minister also requested the State government to introduce total prohibition in the State once the nationwide lockdown is lifted, as he asserted that this lockdown presented a chance to quit the consumption of liquor.

Mr. Radhakrishnan urged mediapersons in the State to condemn the alleged attack Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami and the lynching incident in Palghar, Maharashtra.