PM Modi earlier said the second Covid wave has hit India like a storm . (File photo)
Highlights
From political allies to business leaders, most see it as the only way
Daily deaths slowed marginally after hitting a record 3,689 on Sunday
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on states to only consider lockdowns as the last option. Now everyone from his political allies to top business leaders and US President Joe Biden s chief medical adviser see them as the only way to stem the world s worst virus outbreak.
The debate has been complicated by PM Modi s move last year to impose a nationwide lockdown without warning, spurring a humanitarian crisis as migrant workers fled on foot to rural areas. While the Prime Minister is keen to avoid that criticism again, particularly after his Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win an election in West Bengal when votes were counted Sunday, even states run by his party are ignoring his advice.