'Photo-op' PM created feel-good moment; no vision of future: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his video message, saying there was no vision of the future in it and was just a feel-good moment "curated by India's photo-op Prime Minister".

Modi on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.

In a video message of over 11 minutes, Modi also asked people to maintain the "lakshman rekha" of social distancing by staying indoors and not getting together in groups during the exercise.

"Listened to the Pradhan Showman. Nothing about how to ease people's pain, their burdens, their financial anxieties," Tharoor said, hitting out at the prime minister.

"No vision of the future or sharing the issues he is weighing in deciding about the post-lockdown. Just a feel-good moment curated by India's Photo-Op PrimeMinister!" the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.