Imposing curfew at night and holding rallies during day 'beyond comprehension': Varun Gandhi

Gandhi asked the Yogi Adityanath government to 'honestly decide' whether the priority is to stop spread of Covid-19 or to display power

Again training gun at his own party, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Monday found fault with the imposition of curfew at night to tackle Covid-19 spread but allowing political rallies during the day, saying it was "beyond comprehension of common man".

Gandhi, the BJP MP from Pilibhit, asked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to "honestly decide" whether the priority is to stop spread of Covid-19 or to display power.

"Imposing curfew in the night and calling lakhs of people in rallies during the day – this is beyond the comprehension of the common man. Given Uttar Pradesh's limited healthcare systems, we have to honestly decide whether our priority is to stop the spread of the dreaded Omicron or show electoral power," he tweeted.

Uttar Pradesh is among several states that has imposed night curfews in recent days to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

Varun's argument is that maximum transmission typically happens during the day, as there are fewer people on the road during the night. There is a need for a push to strongly cut down on social gatherings which could emerge as Covid-19 clusters, he said.

Arguing for a "holistic strategy" by highlighting the Centre's note to the Maharashtra government in March 2021, he said measures such as night curfews and weekend lockdowns have very limited impact on containing or suppressing the transmission.

"Hence the administration should focus on strict and effective containment strategy," he said adding, "policymakers should lead from the front, inspiring the common public to stay at home," he added.

Recently, Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Election Commission to consider "stopping and postponing" upcoming Assembly elections in five states in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases and its Omicron variant.

Gandhi has been critical of the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre in the recent past, targeting them for the now repealed contentious farm laws. He was the first BJP lawmaker to demand action against Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, whose son was arrested in connection with the killings of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri.

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