Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in conversation with industrialist Rajiv Bajaj talked about the current situation of coronavirus and the effect of lockdown in the country. To which Rajv Bajaj described India’s lockdown as “draconian” and implied that it lead to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis.
“The lockdown was really hard on the poor and migrants. They had nowhere to go,” said Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the world didn’t go through a lockdown even during the World War, as it has faced today due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s quite surreal. I don’t think anyone imagined that the world would be locked down in this way. I don’t think that even during the World War, the world was locked down. I think even then things were open. it’s a unique and devastating phenomenon,” said Gandhi.
“In India, if you want to do something, be compassionate. And listen. The country will tell you what it wants. Right now the people are screaming in pain,” Rahul Gandhi added.
“I think that the first problem is to get the fear out of the minds of the people, there has to be a very clear aligned narrative, I would say from the PM because, right or wrong, when he says something people seem to follow.”
Rajiv Bajaj
Bajaj also said that he was advised not to speak to Gandhi as it would get him into “trouble.”
During the conversation, Gandhi called for a compassionate response and the urgent need for the government to listen to stakeholders and experts.
The first such dialogue was held on April 30 when Gandhi discussed the coronavirus pandemic and its economic implications with former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan.
Gandhi then held a conversation with Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee who had said India should come out with a large enough stimulus package to revive demand.
The former Congress chief last week spoke to globally renowned public health experts – Professor Ashish Jha of Harvard Global Health Institute and Swedish epidemiologist Johan Giesecke.