PM Modi Already Extended Lockdown? Delhi CM Kejriwal Claims So!

HYDERABAD: India appears to be staring at a strong prospect of an extended nationwide lockdown, currently being enforced to arrest the spread of Coronavirus. Though a final call needs to be taken by the Centre and formal announcement is expected from the prime minister sooner or later, strong indications have emerged to this effect following a video-conference that Modi had with the chief ministers of several states.

Prime Minister Modi, during the meeting, elicited the opinions of all the chief ministers present and as reports suggest, 10 out of 11 chief ministers pressed for the extension of the lockdown in view of the unabated spread of the dreaded virus and a steady rise in the deaths from COVID-19 disease. Latest reports emanating from the national capital claim that, against this backdrop, the Central government too has arrived at a near-conclusion on the extension of the 21-day lockdown beyond April 14th. The reports say, the Centre is leaning towards a two-week further extension of the lockdown.

While there is no official confirmation to this effect from the PMO or any government sources, speculation is rife that Prime Minister Modi is likely to address the nation on Sunday during which he might announce the Centre’s intentions on the issue.

Even as this news continues to revel in the realm of conjecture, a tweet from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday further heightened the suspense and gave rise to suggestions that the Centre has already taken the decision in favour of lockdown extension and conveyed it to the chief ministers during the meeting. His tweet, soon after the CMs meeting with the prime minister, saying, “PM’s decision to extend the lockdown is correct” went viral immediately as it leaves nothing for imagination on the most-talked about aspect.

Take a look at the tweet here:

Reacting to it, the Principal Spokesperson for the government of India and the Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau belonging to the Central government clarified that the prime minister was considering the request made by the chief ministers in favour of the extension.

“During the video-conferencing on coronavirus with state chief ministers on Saturday, most states requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the lockdown by two more weeks. The Central Government is considering this request,” he said.

The Union Home Ministry has sought views of state governments on various aspects, including whether more categories of people and services need to be exempted. In the current lockdown, only essential services are exempted.

Also Read: COVID-19: Telangana Cabinet Meet Tomorrow, Likely To Extend Lockdown