Only country not reaping lockdown strategy benefit appears to be India: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Sep 5: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday attacked the government over the rise in the number of coronavirus cases, claiming that the only country that is not reaping the benefit of the lockdown strategy appears to be India.

He also predicted that by September-end, India may have 65 lakh COVID-19 cases. Chidambaram's attack on the government came as India's COVID-19 infection tally sprinted past 40 lakh. The recoveries have surged to 31,07,223 on Saturday, according to data collated by the Union Health Ministry.

"I had predicted that total number of infections will reach 55 lakh by September 30. I am wrong. India will reach that number by September 20. By end September, the number may touch 65 lakh," Chidambaram said.

The only country that is not reaping the benefit of the lockdown strategy appears to be India, the former Union minister alleged. "PM (Narendra) Modi who promised that we will defeat coronavirus in 21 days must explain why India failed when other countries seem to have succeeded," he said.

In another tweet, Chidambaram also hit out at the Ministry of Finance for the state of the economy, saying it does not have "a word of explanation for the unprecedented negative growth in Q1 of 2020-21". "But it is back to its old game of misleading the people of India and predicting a V shaped recovery (from the coronavirus-induced slump)," the former finance minister said.