JOIN USRahul cancels Bengal rallies citing Covid surge; Congress wants Modi to follow suit
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday canceled his election rallies in West Bengal citing the sharp spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, even as Congress leaders asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow suit.
Rahul’s announcement came on a day Home Minister Amit Shah addressed public rallies and took out road shows in West Bengal on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed two election rallies in the poll-bound state on Saturday.
“In view of the Covid situation, I am suspending all my public rallies in West Bengal.I would advise all political leaders to think deeply about the consequences of holding large public rallies under the current circumstances,” the former Congress President said.
Rahul was planning to address rallies in Malda and Murshidabad where votes will be cast on April 22, the sixth phase of the eight-phase West Bengal elections.
"Dear Prime Minister, the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is setting an example. Please follow it. Nation and its people are important than our political parties. Let's first fight this deadliest pandemic,” Congress Lok Sabha member Jothimani said.
Rahul also took a dig at Modi’s remarks greeting the huge crowds at his rallies in West Bengal on Saturday. “This is also the first time we have seen such a crowd of sick and the dead,” the Congress leader said referring to the record number of people testing positive for Covid-19 across the country.
“Today the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi can see a crowd of people, but not the huge number of corpses. Nothing could be more shameful than this,” Congress said referring to Modi’s campaign speech in West Bengal on Saturday.
“The main reason for this horrifying surge in Covid cases: votes matter more than lives for PM Modi and company,” the Congress said referring to reports of 2.6 new Covid-19 patients detected in a single-day.
BJP has emerged as a key challenger to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the ongoing polls, with the Left Front-Congress-ISF alliance reduced to a fringe player.
Top Congress leaders had stayed away from campaigning in West Bengal and Rahul had hit the campaign trail after the votes were cast in Kerala elections where Congress is seeking to dislodge the Left Front government.