New Delhi, March 18: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rebuked the Narendra Modi-led central government on Wednesday for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Accusing the Centre of showing a lax response so far, the Gandhi scion warned of dire consequences if the governments does not escalate its efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. Congress MP Manish Tewari Shares Report That Says COVID-19 May Have Originated Due to Bioweapon Leak.

"Quick aggressive action is the answer to tackling the coronavirus . India is going to pay an extremely heavy price for our governments inability to act decisively," Gandhi said on Twitter, where he has been lately cornering the Modi government on the outbreak of coronavirus.

According to the former Congress president, the Prime Minister has not been heeding to his advice over the past two months to step up India's defence against the novel coronavirus -- which has been wreaking havoc in neighbouring China since January this year.

"I will keep repeating this. The coronavirus is a huge problem. Ignoring the problem is a non solution. The Indian economy will be destroyed if strong action is not taken. The government is in a stupor," Gandhi said earlier this week on social media, as he re-shared his last month's post in which he appealed the Modi government to step up their efforts in combating COVID-19.

See Rahul Gandhi's Tweet

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Gandhi for his latest tirade against the Centre, saying that he has led the entire nation down by politicising such a sensitive issue. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the central government is working cohesively with the states to prevent the virus from further spreading. Gandhi, through his remarks, has lowered the level of political discourse, he added.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India jumped to 147 on Wednesday. The death toll remains at three, with the latest fatality reported on Tuesday in Mumbai where a 64-year-old COVID-19 patient succumbed to death at Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital. In terms of number of cases, Maharashtra tops the list with 42, followed by 26 in Kerala and 15 each in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2020 04:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).