The Indian economy "will be destroyed if strong action is not taken" to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, criticizing the government over its handling of the pandemic that has affected over 70 people in India and caused a man's death. Mr Gandhi said the government is in a "stupor".
Mr Gandhi's criticism came on a day the domestic markets saw another day of carnage, weighed down by worries over the fast-spreading coronavirus that has prompted investors to dump riskier assets and move towards safe havens.
The rupee too dropped to a record low today.
"I will keep repeating this. The coronavirus is a huge problem. Ignoring the problem is a non-solution. The Indian economy will be destroyed if strong action is not taken. The government is in a stupor," Mr Gandhi tweeted this morning.
The top Congress leader had attacked the government over its handling of the economy and coronavirus on Thursday too, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "sleeping at the wheel" and the country was headed for an "accident".
"Our Prime Minister is sleeping at the wheel. He does not understand these things, unfortunately, I am telling you, the Prime Minister of the India is clueless about the economy, about how these things work and we are heading for an accident as a nation," Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside parliament.
"I have been saying that coronavirus is a very serious problem and the government has not taken action on it the way it should have," he said.
India's first coronavirus death was reported from Karnataka on Thursday. A 76-year-old man who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia died on Tuesday. After his death his samples were confirmed to be positive for COVID-19.
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