"Decision to lockdown India maybe right but 21 days might a bit too long," he said. (File photo)
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor called the 21-day lockdown in the country to fight coronavirus a "bit too long" and predicted "tough days ahead" in a tweet on Wednesday criticizing what he called "shaky preparedness" of the government to deal with the health crisis.
"Decision to lockdown India maybe right but 21 days might a bit too long. But then this is the price one pays for being behind the curve. With the shaky preparedness to deal with the CovidCrisis and very little to safeguard the poor, we could be staring at some tough days ahead," Prashant Kishor tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi last evening announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country to contain the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. "'For the next 21 days, forget about stepping out of home," said the PM in a televised address to the nation.
He said it was vital to break the chain of the disease.
The Prime Minister said the lockdown meant a "Lakshman Rekha" in every home and if people crossed it, they would invite the virus. "If we don't handle these 21 days well, then our country, your family will go backwards by 21 years," he said.
India has about 536 coronavirus cases, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research, and 10 people have died.