Nationwide lockdown won’t be lifted in one go: Modi

With six days to go before the three-week lockdown to end, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Opposition leaders on Wednesday were on the same page for the staged withdrawal of it to contain coronavirus.

The Opposition also asked the Centre to make Covid-19 testing free and demanded availability of quality personal protective kits (PPE) as well as additional stimulus for farmers for the upcoming crop season.

In the first formal interaction through video-conferencing with the floor leaders of the Opposition parties since the lockdown announced by him in the midnight of March 25, Modi told them and other parties in Parliament that the nationwide lockdown will not be lifted in one go on April 14 as scheduled earlier.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pinaki Misra, who represented his party at the meeting, said that Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown will not be lifted and also that the life at pre-corona and post-corona stage will not be same.

Stating that Government’s main priority is saving each and every life, Modi, according to sources, maintained that the situation in the country is akin to a ‘social emergency’ which has necessitated tough decisions and there was a need for continued vigilance. The Prime Minister also observed that the present situation was a watershed event in mankind’s history.

“We must evolve to counter its impact,” he said, adding in the changing circumstances, the country should simultaneously try to bring about a change in its work culture and working style.

Modi understood to have told the conference that “country is facing serious economic challenges as a result of the pandemic” and Government will do all to overcome them.

The Prime Minister is to interact with all the Chief Ministers on April 11 to review the situation emerging of the lockdown. Modi told Opposition leaders that he was in regular touch with the Chief Ministers and taking their suggestions.

Several Chief Ministers and Opposition leaders have already expressed themselves against unlocking the country after April 14 with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot even suggesting that other States could adopt the “Bhilwara model” of lockdown which had successfully eliminated coronavirus in the Bhilwara district of the State by stringent lockdown measure after odd-25 cases emerged there later last month.

General view has been that post-April 14 measures would vary from State to State keeping in view the number and degree of ‘hotspots’ they have by the end of the next week.

Speaking to the Prime Minister, most of the Opposition parties demanded that the testing of coronavirus be made free for all States. Besides, they asked for good quality PPE and their greater availability.

Concern was raised over doctors and nurses falling ill while treating the coronavirus patients and the number of hospitals being sealed. The participating leaders, who also included BJP’s NDA allies, sought greater protection of health workers. The issue of tracing contact trail of Tabligh-e-Jamaat across the States also cropped up during the conference.

Leaders broached the issue of upcoming crop season including that of wheat and mustard and understood to have demanded a package worth one per cent of the GDP.

The Prime Minister said States, district administration and ‘experts’ have suggested extension of lockdown to contain its community spread, sources said.

Top Government officials detailed steps by the Centre to meet the emerging challenges, including status of distribution of benefits under Prime Minister’s ‘Garib Kalyan Yojna’.

Those participated in the meet included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar. Besides others who participated were Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Mishra ( BSP), TR Balu (DMK), Rajiv Ranjan and RCP Singh (JDU), Chirag Paswan (RLSP), Sukhbir Badal (SAD), Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) and Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena).

Sources said, these leaders were briefed by secretaries of various Ministries --- health, home and rural development --- on the actions taken by the Government to tackle COVID-19 and mitigate the hardships arising out of the lockdown.

The meet comes amidst indications that the Central Government may extend the lockdown across the country beyond April 14 after several States have favoured the extension to contain the fast-spreading virus, as the positive cases in the country show no signs of any let-up with several States including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh developing more ‘hotspots’ .

Modi interacted with the parties whose strength of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adds up to five that led to protest from smaller parties like AIMIM who could not participate in the conference.