Don't exhaust ammunition, hold some for backlash, Rahul Gandhi advises govt

Calls for categorising areas into 'hot zones' and 'safe zones', and ramping up random testing to remain ahead of the virus instead of chasing it

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked the government to prepare for an imminent “massive financial backlash” brought on by a host of factors including spiraling unemployment.

He said the government's priority should be to protect the people from the virus, provide them a food safety net, distribute foodgrains from India’s overflowing stocks, and also put in place strategic plans to ensure the lockdown and slowdown do not damage the country’s economy grievously.

“Keep in mind to not use all your ammunition right now, if you use it now, we end up with a real financial backlash, we will have a serious problem,” Gandhi said.

 

The Congress leader argued for increasing testing. To a question on medical teams that were attacked by people in some areas, Gandhi said testing will not harm anyone. He also called for a united fight against the virus, appealing to the people to forget divisions of religion, castes and age. Such divisions, he said, will ensure the victory of the virus.

He demanded a “protective package” to protect India’s strategic corporate groups and industries, which have weakened because of the economic slowdown and lockdown, and could be prone to hostile takeovers by foreign companies. He also suggested a “defensive package” for SMEs (small and medium enterprises), the biggest job providers in the organized sector. Gandhi had first spoken on the need to prepare to fight Covid-19 as early as February 12, and since then has regularly faulted the Centre for moving too late in meeting the challenge.

However, in his press conference via videoconferencing on Thursday, his first after the lockdown was announced on March 24, the Congress MP said he does not wish to indulge in recriminations, but provide constructive suggestions.

Gandhi argued in favour of categorising areas into ‘hot zones’ and ‘safe zones’, and ramping up random testing to remain ahead of the virus instead of chasing it.

Cautioning against premature declaration of victory over Covid-19, he said a lockdown was not a panacea against the virus, but merely a “pause button”, and the virus will come out when the lockdown is lifted. Only increased random testing can keep us ahead of the virus, Gandhi said.

He cautioned the Centre against using “blunt instruments” in its fight against COVID-19, suggested it should nuance its strategy that should rely on decision making decentralized to states, and also release of more funds to the states. The fight against COVID-19 should be a bottom up approach, not top down, Gandhi said.

Amid criticism of Tablighi Jamaat and allegations on a minority community of spreading the virus, Gandhi called for a united fight against COVID-19. “The virus will win if we are divided. We will win if we are united,” he said, but also said that people should respect the medical fraternity and subject themselves to tests.

He said if India wins this fight it can conquer new peaks, develop quickly. He said a lockdown does not defeat the virus, but is a strategic pause that allows for time and space to augment medical resources and infrastructure, including increased testing, ventilators, etc.

Gandhi, who is an MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, lauded the district and state administration for their efforts in fighting the virus.

His other suggestions included depositing some money in bank accounts of 20 per cent of India’s poorest. Speaking of the post lockdown strategy, Gandhi said Covid-19 cannot be controlled but it has to be dynamically managed.

Gandhi said a strategy needs to be worked out about stranded migrants. He said the government must consult experts on whether they should be sent back home or not.

The Congress leader also said that unlike the US and Europe where the virus is fatal lagely for the elderly, in India even the young and middle aged are high risk since several have diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.