Rahul Gandhi has been critical of the government's strategy to handle the pandemic. (File photo)
The strategy of the government to fight the Covid pandemic consists of imposing a "Tughlaqi lockdown, ringing bells and singing praises to the Lord", senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today in his new dig at the government. Mr Gandhi's comments came on a day India saw a record 2,17,353 daily coronavirus cases, its biggest since the first case was reported in the country last year.
"The Central government's COVID-19 strategy -- Stage 1- Impose a Tughlaqi lockdown, Stage 2- Ring bells, Stage 3- Sing praises to the Lord," Mr Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
केंद्र सरकार की कोविड रणनीति-
- Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 16, 2021
स्टेज 1- तुग़लक़ी लॉकडाउन लगाओ।
स्टेज 2- घंटी बजाओ।
स्टेज 3- प्रभु के गुण गाओ।
Mr Gandhi has been critical of the government's strategy to handle the pandemic.
A few days ago, Mr Gandhi took a sharp dig at the government after it decided to fast-track emergency approval for Covid vaccines used in western nations and Japan.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win," Mr Gandhi, who had earlier urged the government to fast-track more vaccines, tweeted after the development. Mr Gandhi had faced severed criticism by the ruling BJP for his demand.
The new move paves way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.
Mr Gandhi's party, the Congress, in the past also has compared some of the government's decisions to those taken by Delhi Sultanate ruler Muhammad bin Tughlaq, to allege that they were arbitrary and not well though out.
The Congress has also taken swipes at the government over its "taali-thaali" call last year in which people across India clapped, rang bells, blew conch shells and beat metal plates in solidarity with health workers fighting the novel coronavirus.
The record daily surge reported today was the second day in a row that the country reported over two lakh daily cases. India has been reporting over 1.5 lakh daily cases for six days now. 1,185 people also died due to the virus in the last 24 hours taking the country's death count to 1,74,308.
The worrying spike has led to shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccine doses in many states in the country.
