‘Political maturity, code of conduct’: Rahul Gandhi gets a shoutout from Shiv Sena

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Apr 18, 2020: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has taken a positive stand over the coronavirus pandemic in the country and shown how a responsible opposition party should behave during a crisis, the Shiv Sena said on Saturday.

The Shiv Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana that Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should hold talks at least once to discuss the coronavirus pandemic for the country’s sake, Hindustan Times reported.

 

The party, which shares power with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, said Gandhi has taken a stand in the public interest and displayed political maturity.

That came, the party wrote, when Rahul Gandhi said he might have differences with PM Modi but it was not the time to quarrel as the country needed a united fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“There can be certain opinions about Rahul Gandhi. Well, there are opinions about PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah as well. Half of the BJP’s success is due to tarnishing the image of Rahul Gandhi. This continues even today,” the editorial said.

“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,” it said.

The party said in Saamana that the former Congress president 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,” it said.

Rahul Gandhi repeatedly urged the government to stop the export of medical equipment needed in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, it added.

“He also said that the lockdown was not a remedy but just a ‘pause button’ in the coronavirus fight. He said once the lockdown is lifted, the virus will once again spread, which is why tests should be conducted on maximum number of people,” it added.

“His statement that lockdown doesn’t kill the virus but allows the government to create medical facilities is completely true... We need to have a concrete strategy to come out of the lockdown,” the Sena said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party added Gandhi’s thoughts are like a brainstorming session for the government and opposition parties and would help the country.