Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a potshot at the Centre over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Coronavirus is a strong blow on our fragile economy" Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
He sited the problems faced by small and medium businessmen and by daily wage workers.
"Clapping will not help them," Gandhi wrote, taking a jibe at the Prime Minister.
The need of the hour,Gandhi said, was for cash aid, tax breaks and a halt on loan repayment. He advocated for a a "major economic package" and urged the government to take quick steps.
Gandhi who had earlier accused the government of not taking the virus seriously has in the past spoken about the repercussions of the virus on the Indian people.
"India is going to pay an extremely heavy price for our governments inability to act decisively," he had written on Wednesday.
Even earlier, he had said that the government was in a "stupor" when it came to combating the infectious disease.
On Saturday the total number of people in India who have been infected by the virus climbed to 271. Four people who had earlier tested positive for the virus have died. Several others have been 'cured'.
Addressing the nation on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for a Janata Curfew that would be observed on Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm.
During his speech Modi asked people to step out onto their balconies and doorways in the evening to applaud the efforts of doctors and nurses and hospital staff, not to mention the staff at the airports who have been constantly working to control the viral outbreak. At 5 pm, he said, the state administrations would sound a siren to herald the same.