PM's economic package cruel joke on country: Sonia Gandhi at opposition meet

New Delhi, May 22: Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the government on Friday over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed that the stimulus announced by the government a cruel joke on the country.

She alleged that the spirit of federalism is all but forgotten and it has abandoned any pretence of being democratic.

Addressing a meeting of opposition parties convened to discuss the plight of migrants due to the lockdown, she alleged that the government is uncertain about the criteria for lockdowns and has no exit strategy.

Gandhi said the migrants and 13 crore families in the bottom half of the population have been cruelly ignored by the government.

"The prime minister's grand Rs 20 lakh crore package has turned out to be a cruel joke on country," she said.

"The initial optimism of the Prime Minister that the war against the virus would conclude in 21 days has turned out to be misplaced. It seems that the virus is here to stay until a vaccine is found. I am also of the view that the government was uncertain about the criteria for lockdowns, nor does it have an exit strategy," Gandhi said.