A report released in 2020 stated that the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus left more a quarter billion people poor. Observing the same, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, opposed the proposed lockdown by saying the government should not bother people by by bringing back the lockdown.
While speaking to the news channel on the issue Sanjay Nirupam said the party is opposed to the idea of a lockdown and called this strategy as 'very wrong.'
Lockdown has had a big impact on the economy and it is a matter of people's survival. Last year's lockdown brought several industries to a standstill leading to factories shutting down. As a result, there was no work for the people in Maharashtra and many places across India. A large number of people became unemployed, he added.
The report states that over 25 million people lost their jobs last year and keeping this reference in mind, he asked the government to not bother people by imposing another lockdown.
Furthermore, he told the citizens that if one wants to be protected from corona virus infection, they they'll have to follow the rules carefully and get vaccinated. The vaccine was not available last year, but now since it is available, vaccination centers should be set up in as many places as possible in Mumbai
Moreover, he also opposed the idea of forcefully testing people who go out to the cinemas and malls. Adding more, he said that collecting INR 250 from them was wrong as testing alone will not do anything. As a suggestion, he stated that they should be vaccinated.
Nirupam also said that there is a lot of fear of lockdown in people's minds about what it will lead to. Concerns are being raised among those who are financially weak, whereby they worry if they would have to face unemployment and starvation if the lockdown happens again. He assured that said that he will meet the Congress ministers in the government and request them to oppose the lockdown as well.