New Delhi, April 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled his predecessors Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic in India, said a government statement issued on Sunday. Modi also held a telephonic conversation with former Presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil. During the phone calls, he reportedly shared the steps taken so far by his government to contain the transmission of coronavirus. Catch the live updates on coronavirus outbreak in India and other parts of the world.

Modi also reached out to his political rival and chief of India's largest Opposition party Congress - Sonia Gandhi - to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak in India. The telephonic conversation assumes significance as the Congress has been critical of the "unplanned" lockdown imposed by the Narendra Modi government. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in India.

The Prime Minister also held discussions with Samajwadi Party veteran and former Union Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, DMK president MK Stalin, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik, Telangana CM and TRS head K Chandrasekhara Rao and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal.

Update by ANI

Modi on Saturday held discussions over the phone with United States President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The Indian PM assured them of bilateral commitments and partnerships to jointly combat the outbreak of coronavirus.

Trump, during the phone call, asked Modi to approve the export of hydroxychloroquine to the US from India. The anti-malarial drug is being suggested as an option to treat COVID-19 patients by the US President. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has allowed medical practitioners to use the drug in certain cases.

The COVID-19 death toll in India rose to 3,347, including 77 deaths and 267 persons who have recovered. Worldwide, the disease has infected over 1,205,800 persons so far and claimed 64,973 lives. Bulk of the fatalities have been recorded in Italy, Spain, the UK, the US, Iran and China.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2020 03:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).