‘PM must explain’: Chidambaram targets government on Covid-19, economy


Congressional Top Leader P Chidambaram on Saturday criticized the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in the country as he predicted that the infection count in India could touch the 6.5 million mark by the end of September.

“He had predicted that the total number of infections would reach 55 lakh by September 30. I’m wrong. India will hit that number on September 20. By the end of September, the number can touch 65 lakh, ”Chidambaram said in a series of tweets.

“Prime Minister Modi, who promised that we will defeat the coronavirus in 21 days, must explain why India failed when other countries appear to have succeeded,” he added.

India recorded the highest single-day jump of 86,432 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s number of cases to more than 4 million, according to the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. With 1,089 more deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative balance reached 69,561, he said.

The former Union Finance Minister also alleged that the country has not been able to reap the benefits of the blockade strategy.

Chidambaram also attacked the Union Ministry of Finance over the state of India’s economy. Addressing the Union Finance Ministry led by Nirmala Sitharaman, Chidambaram said: “The Finance Ministry does not have a word of explanation for the unprecedented negative growth in the first quarter of 2020-21. But he’s gone back to his old game of fooling the people of India and predicting a V-shaped recovery. “

“People have not forgotten that the Finance Ministry promised V-shaped recovery for the last 15 months,” said the former Finance Minister.

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