COVID-19: Ashwani Kumar says government should ban political rallies, religious gatherings

NEW DELHI: Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday sought ban political rallies, religious congregations, and protest movements.

"Considering the unanimous opinion of experts, the government must ban the super spreading events such as political rallies, religious congregations, and protest movements for a few months at least," Kumar told ANI

The former union minister said that irrational and oppressive orders like compulsory wearing of masks even by a lone occupant of a private car and discriminatory enforcement of COVID-19 norms rob the protocols of their moral legitimacy.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court had made the wearing of masks compulsory even if a person is driving alone in a car in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At the same time, citizens wilfully flouting the protective norms must suffer the consequences. The superior judiciary, as custodian of our constitutional rights, must take judicial notice of the aberrations and discrimination in the enforcement of laws to contain the pandemic," Kumar said.

The Congress leader also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting to forge a broad political consensus to fight this pandemic.

"Considering its devastating consequences for the nation as a whole, the PM must convene an all-party meet to forge the broadest political consensus to meet an unprecedented challenge. It is time for political parties to shed their differences in fighting the virus. The strength of the nation and the resilience of our democracy demands a return to politics anchored in moderation and the shunning of extremes," he added.

India has reported 1,61,736 new COVID19 cases, 97,168 discharges and 879 deaths in the last 24 hours.