'Lockdown is only a pause button to coronavirus': Rahul's assertion has Twitter confused

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called for a united fight against COVID-19, and said a lockdown was no solution to defeat the coronavirus. He added aggressive testing was the main weapon and it should be used strategically.

"A misconception that I want to clear is, in no way does a lockdown defeat the virus, it stops the virus for sometime. It's just a pause button," said Rahul, in press briefing through video conferencing.

So, while he said he differed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he did not want to "get involved in 'Tu Tu Main Main' (blame game) as the country is fighting a tough battle against the virus and we will only be successful to contain it when everybody works together."

"There should be no declaration of victory, it is a long fight. I disagree with PM Modi on a lot of issues but we have to unite and not fight. We have to defeat the virus together," he said.

Lockdown is said to have allowed time and space to put in medical resources, ramp up testing abilities, prepare hospitals, and get ventilators for patients. It has been substantially proved -- across the world -- that lockdown did impact COVID-19 tally positively.

Twitterverse latched onto this, and consequently, Rahul Gandhi trended for hours.

On one hand, people asked him for an alternative to lockdown -- because, kya karein otherwise? and on the other, doled out some harmless humour, and some valuable advice.

Harmless and vaulable, as we said!

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi talked of exit strategies too. He concluded his address by saying the government should think of the exit strategy and economic burden which is going to come in months. 

"Decide what your exit strategy would be after the lockdown," he said.