Congress chief Sonia Gandhi shared a video message this morning on coronavirus crisis.
Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in a video message this morning praised those at the forefront in the fight against coronavirus - doctors, sanitation workers, policemen - and said they were fighting the pandemic despite the lack of resources. The Congress stands with the people of the country at the time of a crisis "whether in power or not," she stressed.
"What can be more patriotic that all of us fighting the pandemic together. Our coronavirus warriors are fighting this war despite lack of basic safety gear. Doctors, health workers and volunteers are treating patients despite lack of protection kits," Sonia Gandhi said, urging people to "follow the lockdown and adhere to the social distancing norms".
"Policemen and jawans are on duty to ensure a successful lockdown. Sanitation workers - despite lack of resources - are helping in containing the spread of the coronavirus. Government officials too are working hard to ensure essential services. But if we don't support them, they won't be able to do their jobs. Reports have been coming of harassment of doctors. This is wrong, against our culture. We have to support them in this fight."
"Many of you are fighting this war at an individual level by distributing sanitisers, ration. All of you deserve to be praised. All Congress workers are with you in this fight, whether we are in power or not," she said at the end of nearly five-minute long video message.
PM Modi addressed this morning and announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3. "After taking into account all suggestions, we have decided to extend the lockdown till May 3," PM Modi said in his 25-minute address shortly after India crossed the 10,000-mark in COVID-19 cases.
Last week, Ms Gandhi had said that the "lockdown is going to put a lot of burden on our economy". "The economy was already in crisis - and now it seems that difficulties will increase. We have to be ready for it," she had said on Friday.
Yesterday, she wrote to PM Modi and asked him to ensure that "no one faces hunger" because of the countrywide curbs.
Across India, more than 10,000 people have coronavirus, at least 300 people have died to the highly contagious illness.