The Congress on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to people to light candles and lamps on Sunday night, asking whether such gestures would feed the poor and procure personal protection equipment for health workers.

The party accused the Prime Minister of failing to focus on the critical issues relating to the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown.

It asserted that it would keep asking the right questions while following the Prime Minister’s instruction to light candles.

On Thursday, after Congress president Sonia Gandhi had blamed the migrant workers’ plight on the lack of planning before the lockdown, the BJP had accused the Congress of playing “petty politics” instead of thinking of the national interest.

“130 crore Indians are united to defeat Covid-19. Yet, Congress is playing petty politics. High time they think of national interest and stop misleading people,” Union home minister Amit Shah had tweeted.

BJP president J.P. Nadda had tweeted: “At a time when the entire country is united behind the Prime Minister in the fight against Corona, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s statement is insensitive and indecent. This is not the time for politics; this is the time for serving the nation. We should unite to fight Corona.”

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera responded on Friday, saying: “Sonia Gandhi had pointed to the lack of preparedness. Doctors and nurses are getting infected by the coronavirus because of the unavailability of personal protection equipment (PPE).

“Over 50 doctors have fallen sick and no count of (ailing) nurses is available. Is that preparedness? Is it (an) anti-national (act) to ask for the safety of health workers? Modiji said, ‘Clang plates and clap’. We did that. But should we stop at that? Not ask for the safety of doctors?”

Khera added: “Now Modiji has ordered we should light candles and (flash) torches. We will do that. But will that ensure that millions of the poor will have food to eat? Will lighting candles (light) the stoves of daily-wage earners? Should we not ask for transferring money to their accounts?

“Millions of migrant labourers marched to their villages covering hundreds of miles. Is that preparedness, good planning? Rahulji was alerting the government since February 12. Had the government woken up then, India would not have suffered like this.”

Khera went on: “The entire nation expected the Prime Minister today to declare that PPEs had been arranged for and that orders for more extensive testing had been given. We waited for the announcement that arrangements had been made to ensure that nobody slept hungry. But the order came for (lighting) candles and torches.

“We will continue to raise the concerns of the people. If the government wants an Opposition that does not ask valid questions, it can invent one.”

Asked about Modi’s video-link interaction with cricketers and other sportspersons in connection with the Covid-19 crisis, Khera said: “The Prime Minister has not conducted a videoconference with the leaders of political parties who could have made valuable suggestions. The Congress has governed the country for six decades and we have many experienced leaders with remarkable experience. But the Prime Minister chose not to consult us.

“No issues if he does not want our help. But he should focus on the critical questions. Real work is different from clanging plates and lighting candles. Real work is to bolster the health infrastructure and manage the economic crisis.”

Former finance minister P. Chidambaram echoed similar sentiments.

“We will listen to you and light diyas on April 5. But, in return, please listen to us and to the wise counsel of epidemiologists and economists. What we expected from you today was FAP II (financial assistance page), a generous livelihood support package for the poor, including for those categories of poor who were totally ignored by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” he said.

“Every working man and woman, from business person to daily-wage earner, also expected you to announce steps to arrest the economic slide and restart the engines of economic growth. The people are disappointed on both counts. Symbolism is important, but (giving) serious thought to ideas and measures is equally important.”

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot rued that the Modi dispensation did not tolerate even constructive criticism and that the BJP kept branding all critics “anti-national”.

“That is why we have to say that they do not believe in democracy, that they are fascists and undemocratic. The points highlighted by Sonia Gandhi would have helped the government serve the nation in a much better and organised way,” he said.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel asserted that the Congress would advocate everything that was in the national interest.