Several Opposition leaders have rebuked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to light candles or torches at 9 pm on April 5 to fight the 'darkness of novel coronavirus'.

PM Modi urged all Indians to go to their balconies this weekend and light a lamp or candle to at 9 pm for nine minutes in a short video message on April 3.

Among Opposition leaders who reacted sharply to this was Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. He was joined by leaders like P Chidambaram and Mahua Moitra shortly who took to social media to taunt the gesture.

Notably, this is the second such collective gesture that the PM has called for since the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus in India. The first one was scheduled on March 22 – the day the Janata Curfew was imposed. After the curfew ended, he had asked people to come to their balconies and ring a bell, clap, or clang utensil as a mark of their respect and support of healthcare workers who are on the frontline of fighting the disease.