Congress questions govt's strategy on lockdown, asks what after May 17
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday questioned the government over the criteria it adopted to judge how long the COVID-19-induced lockdown will continue.
Addressing a meeting of chief ministers of states where the Congress is in power, she asked "what after May 17?"
India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The first and second phase of the lockdown was from March 25 to April 14 and April 15 to May 3, respectively. The third phase began from May 4 and would end on May 17.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were part of the meeting held through video-conferencing.
"After May 17th, What? and After May 17th, How? What criteria is GoI (government of India) using to judge how long the lockdown is to continue...," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala quoted Sonia Gandhi as saying in the meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the post-lockdown work.
She thanked farmers, particularly of Punjab and Haryana, for ensuring food security by giving bumper wheat produce despite all odds. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh said, "We need to know, as Soniaji said, what will happen after lockdown 3.0?".
"Soniaji has already pointed out. CMs need to deliberate and ask as to what is the strategy of the government of India to get the country out of the lockdown," Singh asked.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the central piece of the strategy to fight COVID-19 is to protect the elderly as well as those who are diabetic and with heart conditions.
Speaking at the meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he has set up two committees, one to strategise on how to come out of the lockdown and the other on economic revival.
"Concern is people sitting in Delhi are deciding on classification of (COVID-19) zones without knowing what's happening on the ground," he said at the meeting.
Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, "until extensive stimulus package is given, how will states and the country run? We have lost Rs 10,000 crore revenue."
He said states have repeatedly requested the prime minister for a package, "but we are yet to hear from the government of India".
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said, "States are facing dire economic crisis. They need to be provided immediate assistance."
He said Chhattisgarh is one state where 80 per cent of small industries have restarted and nearly 85,000 workers have returned to work.
The Centre is deciding on COVID-19 zones without consulting states, Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy alleged.
"This is creating an anomalous situation. People sitting in Delhi can't tell the states, No State or CM is consulted. Why?" he asked. "PM isn't saying a word on economic package for states," he said.
Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram also alleged that states are "bleeding" in terms of finances but no money is being allocated by the government.
He said a number of newspapers have brought out the unavailability of finances with states.
Former Union minister M Veerappa Moily said the strategy to declare lockout or come out of it hasn't been stated at all by the prime minister or changed at all.
The Congress president is also likely to discuss the issue of migrant labourers and workers stranded at various places and steps taken by the states in bringing them back to their home states.
Sonia Gandhi had announced on Monday that the state units if Congress party would pay for the train fare of migrants as they prepare to go back to their homes. She also criticised the central government for charging them train fare.
Surjewala later said during the chief ministers meeting with the Congress president, that "states should assure that they have decided to pay for the travel of migrant labourers and have asked the Railways for special trains."
"Punjab CM informs that Rs 35 crore has been set aside and Railways is charging Rs 870 per ticket, which state is paying," he said.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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