Extension of lockdown: Opposition slams PM for not announcing steps to help poor

All major opposition parties criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "failing" to announce any tangible measures to alleviate "pain" of millions of poor in his address to the nation on Tuesday while the BJP and other constituents of the ruling coalition welcomed his "hard decision" to extend the current lockdown until May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In his televised address, Modi announced extending the nationwide lockdown for another 19 days, adding the restrictions could be reviewed for certain parts of the country on April 20. The current spell of 21-day lockdown was scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday.

In the last few days, several opposition parties demanded the government to announce specific welfare measures to help poor people saying the lockdown triggered job losses due to economic disruptions.

A host of Congress leaders criticised Modi for not coming out with a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy and asked what he was doing to mitigate the woes of poor, migrant labourers and farmers waiting to harvest crops.

In a Shakespearean reference, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi described Modi's nearly 25-minute address as "like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark" , noting that it did not mention any specific problems facing the country like difficulties of the poor.

Senior party colleague P Chidambaram said, "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country."
In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, "It was claimed that the screening started at different airports when there was not even a single coronavirus case in the country."