‘Somewhere they slipped…’: Anupam Kher on Centre’s COVID response

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is known to be a very strong supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP, on Wednesday said that somewhere the government had ‘slipped’ in its handling of the COVID crisis that is sweeping across the country bringing India’s healthcare sector to a breaking point.

The 66-year-old actor, in an interview with NDTV on Wednesday, said, “ Somewhere they have slipped…it is time for them to understand that there is much more to life than just image building maybe.” Kher’s wife Kirron is a BJP Lok Sabha member from Chandigarh.

He added that, “I think the criticism is valid in lots of cases.” Referring to bodies floating on the bank of ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh he said, “Only an inhuman person will not get affected by the bodies floating. He also takes on the opposition party and further added that, “But for another political party to use it for their gain, I think that is also not right. I think we should, as people, get angry.”

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This is a big shift from Kher’s earlier comment on the COVID situation when he came out in support of PM Modi. He had tweeted, “Aayega to Modi hi” in response to a a tweet that questioned government’s take on current COVID-19 situation.

Meanwhile, to support the needy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Anupam Kher started Project Heal India with an aim to support the needy in this pandemic. For the project, he collaborated with Dr Ash Tiwari, urology at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital and the managing director of Bharat Forge Ltd, Baba Kalyani.

Also Read: Bihar puts net across Ganga to catch bodies of suspected COVID victims

India on Wednesday recorded 362,727 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the country’s tally to 23,703,665, as per the data from the Ministry of Health on Thursday.