Rahul Gandhi calls for a ‘nuanced approach’

30/03/2020

“It is critical for us to understand that India’s conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who are following a total lockdown strategy. The number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is simply too large for us to unilaterally shut down all economic activity. The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the virus,” Mr. Gandhi said in the letter released by the Congress party hours after the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat.

“Our priority must be to protect and isolate the elderly and vulnerable, and to clearly and strongly communicate to the young, the dangers of proximity to older people,” he said.

“Millions of India’s elderly live in villages. A complete lockdown and the resulting shut down of our economic engine will almost certainly ensure that millions of unemployed youth rush back to their villages, increasing the risk of infecting their parents and the elderly population living there. This will result in a catastrophic loss of life,” Mr. Gandhi added.