Rahul Gandhi to discuss COVID-19, economy with industrialist Rajiv Bajaj at 10 am today

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with industrialist Rajiv Bajaj on the economic fallout of coronavirus crises will be aired on social media platforms today at 10 am.

Today, at 10:00 AM onwards, watch me discuss with Mr Rajiv Bajaj, MD Bajaj Auto, the impact of lockdown and what it means for the Indian economy. pic.twitter.com/J4FvxZOWV0

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 4, 2020

The political party on Wednesday released a teaser of the conversation on various social media platforms in which the Gandhi scion can be seen talking about COVID-19 and how it is difficult to get rid of that.

In the teaser, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj, can be heard talking about the impact of the lockdown on the Indian economy.

“We tried to implement a hard lockdown which was still porous. So, I think we have ended up with the worst of both worlds. On one hand, a porous lockdown makes sure that the virus will still exist and as you said, it is still waiting to hit you when you will unlock. So, you have not solved that problem,” Bajaj said.

“But you have definitely decimated the economy. You flattened the wrong curve. It is not the infection curve, it is the GDP curve. This is what we have ended (up) with, the worst of both worlds,” he said.

During the conversation, the Congress leader once again stressed upon the urgent need for the Centre to listen to the stakeholders and experts.

“Whoever is going to invest in India is going to invest not because of your image, they are going to invest because of what you are and what you have… So the first logic has to be, defend that economy,” The Congress leader was quoted saying during the conversation.

“If you don’t have an economy left, there is nothing,” Gandhi added.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi first held a dialogue on the status of India’s economy on April 30 with former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan.

He later held a conversation with Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee who was of the view that the country should come out with a large enough stimulus package to revive demand.

A few days ago he also spoke to globally renowned public health experts — Professor Ashish Jha of Harvard Global Health Institute and Swedish epidemiologist Johan Giesecke regarding the COVID-19 crisis.

In a statement, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also criticised the Centre for imposing the lockdowns, saying, “over two months after one of the most stringent lockdown was announced with no prior notice, the devastating impact on the economy is obvious. The stimulus package does little to rebuild business confidence and has left many with little leeway to bounce back.”

“Will India benefit from companies moving out of China? How much is hype and how much of it would translate into opportunities? They (Gandhi and Bajaj) delve into the newfound optimism regarding the possibility of India emerging as a manufacturing hub, and the challenges posed by other Asian competitors,” Surjewala added. (ANI)