Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder Prakash Ambedkar, on Friday, asked small businesses to defy the lockdown and start their operations from August 1. He also asked rickshaw operators to ferry commuters and start living a normal life. His message was not to follow the lockdown guidelines issued by the state government on extending the lockdown till August 31 amidst rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar strongly opposed the extension of lockdown. He urged people to display the tricolour on balconies and terraces to indicate that they do not support the lockdown extension. “Register an offence against me, arrest me for making this appeal. I do not fear arrest,’’ he said.
Ambedkar targeted both the central and state government on the present state of affairs, saying that both lack courage and leadership to give a true picture of the COVID-19 pandemic. “What migrant workers faced after the lockdown was suddenly announced is the same as what small businesses are facing now.”
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