Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump in February was responsible for the spread of novel coronavirus in Gujarat, and later in Mumbai and Delhi, which some of his delegates visited.
Mr. Raut also hit out at the Centre saying the lockdown was implemented without planning, but now the responsibility of lifting curbs was left to the States.
“It can’t be denied that the spread of novel coronavirus in Gujarat was because of the massive public gathering held to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump. Some of the delegates, who accompanied Trump, also visited Mumbai, Delhi, which led to the spread of the virus,” Mr. Raut said in his weekly column in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
On February 24, Trump along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken part in a road-show in Ahmedabad, which was attended by thousands of people. After the road- show, the two leaders had addressed a gathering of over one lakh people at Motera cricket stadium, run by Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
Gujarat had reported its first coronavirus cases on March 20, when samples of a man from Rajkot and a woman from Surat tested positive for the disease.
Mr. Raut also said that any move to pull down the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA overnment and impose President’s Rule in the State, would be suicidal.
“The state had witnessed how President’s rule was imposed and lifted as per will six months ago...If the handling of coronavirus cases is the basis of imposing President’s rule, then it should be done in at least 17 States, including the BJP-ruled ones...Even the central government has failed to curb the pandemic as it had no planning to fight the virus,” he said.
“The lockdown was imposed without any planning and now without any plan, the responsibility of lifting it has been left to the states. This chaos will further worsen the crisis,” he said.
The Sena MP said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has made an excellent analysis of how the lockdown has failed. “It is shocking that people can indulge in politics by demanding President’s rule in Maharashtra for the rise in the coronavirus cases,” he said.