Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the latter appealed to Indians to light candles and flash mobile phone lights for nine minutes at 9 PM on 5 April to fight coronavirus.
Taking to Twitter, Tharoor wrote, “This is no accident: the PM spoke on Ram Navami at 9 am for 9 mins, asked us to light diyas & candles on 5/4 at 9 pm for 9 mins. He is invoking all the auspicious elements Hinduism associates with number 9. Back to Ram Bharose?! #COVID19 must be more serious than we thought!”
This is no accident: the PM spoke on Ram Navami at 9 am for 9 mins, asked us to light diyas & candles on 5/4 at 9 pm for 9 mins. He is invoking all the auspicious elements Hinduism associates with number 9. Back to Ram Bharose?! #COVID19 must be more serious than we thought!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 3, 2020
In his video message, Modi had asked Indians to switch off lights inside their homes at 9 PM on 5 April for nine minutes and stand in their balconies or outside their doors for nine minutes by holding well-lit candles, torches or turned on flashlights in their mobile phones.
He had said, “This Sunday on 5 April, we have to get together and challenge the darkness of the danger posed by corona. We have to introduce the power of light to corona. This 5 April, we have to awaken the great power of 130 crore people….I want your nine minutes on 5 April, Sunday, at 9 PM.”
Last month, Modi had asked Indians to bang utensils and clap for five minutes at 5 PM on 22 March to fight the pandemic. His supporters were quick to spin bizarre Hindutva theories to justify the benefits of clapping and banging utensils.