Opposition Slams PM Modi On 'Diya Jalao' Message

Several opposition leaders criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his message to the nation to light a lamp or shine a torch at 9 pm on Sunday to dispel the darkness engulfing the nation through the deadly coronavirus.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor posted a tweet saying that he listened to the 'Pradhan Showman'. Tharoor remarked that there was nothing in the PM's message about how to ease people's pain, their burdens and their financial anxieties. It also lacked a vision of the future. The PM did not share the issues he is weighing in deciding about the post-lockdown, Tharoor said. "Just a feel-good moment curated by India's Photo-Op PrimeMinister!", read the Congress leader's tweet.

Mahua Moitra Lok Sabha MP of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) lashed out at PM Modi and asked him to 'get real' instead of asking people to turn off lights and come to their balconies. She said that PM Modi should give India a financial package worth 8-10 per cent of the country's GDP. Moitra also asked PM Modi to ensure immediate wages to construction and other labourers during the lockdown period.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member, Kapil Sibal hit out at the Prime Minister for leaving out important measures in his message. Sibal, in a tweet remarked that the PM's message contained nothing about the government's steps to contain the virus, protect our medical practitioners, provide testing kits, push food and supplies to the poor, finance migrant labour and the jobless. The Congress leader concluded his tweet with the words, "Light the 'Diya' of reason, not that of superstition!"