Lockdown brought untold misery, needs smart upgrade: Rahul

A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the lockdown needs a "smart" upgrade with use of mass testing to isolate COVID-19 hotspots and by allowing businesses to reopen in other areas.

He said the 21-day nationwide lockdown has brought misery to millions of farmers, migrant labourers and daily wagers.

"The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners.

"It needs a 'smart' upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen," Gandhi said on Twitter.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus ends on Tuesday and the prime minister is likely to talk about its possible extension.