Kolkata:
The leaders from Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool, have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling on people to switch off lights in their homes and hold candles, lamps and mobile flashlights in a show of unity amid the coronavirus crisis. The West Bengal Chief Minister, a forceful PM Modi critic, however, reacted with restraint.
"Why should I poke my nose into the Prime Minister's affairs," Ms Banerjee said when she was asked for a reaction on PM Modi's appeal to the masses.
Ms Banerjee refused to rise to the political bait, reinforcing, instead, her focus on tackling the coronavirus crisis.
"Should I manage corona (coronavirus) or should I do politics? Why do you want to start a political war, please don't start a political war," she said.
She said those who like PM Modi's idea must answer his call. "If I want to sleep, I will sleep. This is a totally personal matter."
Several Trinamool leaders were at variance with the Prime Minister's idea amid the pandemic, which has killed 62 people in the country.
World
Coronavirus has spread to 181 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 10,39,186 and 55,102 have died; 7,65,036 are active cases and 2,19,048 have recovered as on April 3, 2020 at 8:07 pm.
India
In India, there are 2,547 confirmed cases including 62 deaths. The number of active cases is 2,322 and 163 have recovered as on April 3, 2020 at 6:00 pm.
State & District Details State Cases Active Recovered Deaths Maharashtra
335
309
42
16
Tamil Nadu
309
304
6
1
Kerala
286
261
27
2
Delhi
219
215
8
4
Uttar Pradesh
172
160
14
2
Rajasthan
167
164
3
0
Telangana
158
164
1
7
Andhra Pradesh
132
132
1
1
Karnataka
124
117
10
3
Madhya Pradesh
104
110
0
6
Gujarat
95
93
10
8
Jammu And Kashmir
75
74
3
2
West Bengal
63
63
3
3
Haryana
49
25
24
0
Punjab
48
52
1
5
Bihar
29
30
0
1
Chandigarh
18
18
0
0
Assam
16
16
0
0
Ladakh
14
11
3
0
Uttarakhand
10
8
2
0
Andaman And Nicobar Islands
10
10
0
0
Chhattisgarh
9
6
3
0
Goa
6
6
0
0
Himachal Pradesh
6
6
1
1
Puducherry
5
4
1
0
Odisha
5
5
0
0
Manipur
2
2
0
0
Jharkhand
2
2
0
0
Mizoram
1
1
0
0
Arunachal Pradesh
1
1
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Mahua Moitra, a party MP, in a sharp attack on PM Modi, said he must "get real".
"Turn out lights and come on balconies? Get real Mr Modi! Give India fiscal package worth 8-10 percent of the GDP. Ensure immediate wages to construction and other labour during lockdown- laws exist permitting this. Stop gagging real press in name of curbing fake news," she tweeted.
Turn out lights & come on balconies?
GET REAL MR. MODI!
Give India fiscal pkg worth 8-10pc of GDP
Ensure immediate wages to construction & other labour during lockdown- laws exist permitting this
Stop gagging real press in name of curbing fake news
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 3, 2020
Bengal Minister Subrata Mukherjee said the country expected some direction from PM Modi. "Will lighting lamps end coronavirus," he said.
Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, whose firm IPAC is assisting the Trinamool in its efforts to return to power in the state, also tweeted a restrained response on PM's appeal.
"While we must appreciate all efforts that showcase our solidarity and demonstrate our resolve to fight Covid-19, these can't be substitute for a robust, well thought-out plan and response that is rooted in scientific evidence and is guided by data and best professional experience," he tweeted.
While we must appreciate all efforts that showcase our solidarity and demonstrate our resolve to fight #Covid these can't be substitute for a robust, well thought-out plan and response that is rooted in scientific evidence and is guided by data and best professional experience.
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) April 3, 2020
Mamata Banerjee's exchanges with the centre have been restrained in the last few weeks. Earlier this week, however, she, in a letter, asked the centre to release funds. Ms Banerjee complained of the shortage of health equipment like PPEs but at the same time, she highlighted the fact that such inputs were in short supply because of the coronavirus outbreak.
