Shiv Sena praises Rahul Gandhi, advises one-on-one talks with PM for India's Covid fight

The Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' in its editorial on Saturday praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that he has taken a positive stand over the coronavirus pandemic. The Sena mouthpiece said that he has shown how a responsible opposition party should behave during a crisis. It went on to suggest that Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should hold one-on-one talks to discuss the pandemic for the benefit of the country.

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In its editorial, Shiv Sena said, "Half of the BJP's success is due to tarnishing the image of Rahul Gandhi. This continues even today. But Gandhi has to be praised for the stand he has taken in the present crisis. He has created a model code of conduct on how an opposition party should behave when the country is faced with a crisis."

Hitting out at BJP for toppling the Madhya Pradesh government, Sena said, "Rahul Gandhi recognised the coronavirus threat well in advance and continuously warned the government to take necessary steps. When everybody was busy pulling down the (Congress-led) Madhya Pradesh government, Gandhi was trying to wake the government up to tackle the coronavirus crisis," the Sena said.

The party, which shares power with Congress and NCP in Maharashtra, said that Rahul Gandhi took a stand in public interest and displayed political maturity, but this is not the time to quarrel as the country needs to give a united fight against the pandemic.

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Rahul Gandhi says 'lockdown no solution' 

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that lockdown is only a 'pause' and not a 'solution,' He suggested the government to increase testing and use it strategically. He claimed that there will be a massive financial backlash after the lockdown ends and the first wave of 'unemployment' will begin. He also said that he would appreciate 'more detailed conversation' between the Prime Minister's office and the state governments. The Wayanad MP added that Covid can not be 'controlled it has to be managed'. 

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Rahul Gandhi said: "Parties must come together in this situation. Lockdown is in no way a solution to coronavirus. The virus will start its work again after lockdown, to fight the virus testing needs to increase dramatically. We have to start random testing and go ahead to preempt where the virus is going." "This fight against Covid-19 has only just begun. To claim victory now would be a big mistake. We have to fight it as we go ahead," he added. 

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