Singhvi demands full lockdown & Parliament closure; backs Kejriwal on domestic flight ban

Many states and districts in India were put under complete or partial lockdown on Sunday to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Monday said that he fully supports "full lockdown" across the country and not "partial lockdown" calling it "self-defeating and contradictory". Attacking the Centre for not adjourning the ongoing Parliament session, he said it is "ridiculous mulishness/hypocrisy"

'Ridiculous mulishness not to adjourn Parliament'

Taking to Twitter, he also praised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for suspending domestic flights in the national capital - a decision that was later overruled for the time being by the DGCA.  He also said the courts are right to start video conferencing in order to ensure social distancing but said that it should allow lawyers to argue from home. 

On Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that all domestic flights landing in Delhi will also be suspended, however, a clarification from the Delhi International Airport Limited, via a tweet on Sunday night, said that all scheduled domestic flight operations to continue at the Delhi airport.

Budget Session likely to be adjourned

Meanwhile, the Budget Session of Parliament is likely to be concluded on Monday after the passage of the Finance Bill in both Houses, as per sources. According to reports, the government wants to quickly go through the Finance Bill and conclude the proceedings regarding Budget. Even if the Rajya Sabha does not clear the Finance Bill, it will come into effect as it is a money Bill, as per reports, as the passage of the Finance bill is essential.

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Earlier, the government had said the house would stick to the schedule and continue running, but the pressure on it was mounting, with many MPs across party lines staying away from parliament. 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday confirmed 396 positive cases of coronavirus in the country including foreign nationals. "A total number of coronavirus positive cases has spiked to 396 in India (including foreign nationals)," said an official from the ICMR. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 7 deaths due to coronavirus have been reported.

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(With agency inputs)