The Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday argued over the management of the coronavirus pandemic in Parliament, PTI reported.

The AAP called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to beat utensils in honour of frontline workers battling the pandemic as “foolish”. In March, Modi had urged citizens to express their gratitude to essential workers during the crisis by beating thalis (plates) and clapping from their balconies and windows.

“I want to ask this government, tell me any one research in the world that shows COVID can be prevented by clamping utensils and by clapping,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said during a debate on the coronavirus crisis in the Rajya Sabha. “The entire Opposition will not go home, but will clap with the prime minister and light ‘diyas’ in Parliament premises. You bring such absurd and foolish schemes and expect the entire country to be befooled by you.”

In response, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said the call was “symbolic” and likened it with Mahatma Gandhi’s use of the charkha [spinning wheels].

“Would the British have run away by the use of the charkha [spinning wheel],” Trivedi said. “The charkha was symbolic which Mahatma Gandhi chose in uniting the country against the British. The same way, PM Modi made the ‘diyas’ and beating utensils symbolic in bringing together all Indians in the fight against Covid.”

Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the BJP MP further took a dig at him for giving an early warning about the pandemic. Trivedi said that when the party was demanding a ban on international flights, the former Congress chief was not in the country.

Trivedi also defended the BJP over allegations that the Centre did not impose lockdown early because it wanted to topple the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Trivedi claimed that there were only 29 Covid cases in the country at that time and not a single infection was reported in Madhya Pradesh.

India’s coronavirus case count crossed the 51-lakh mark on Thursday and rose to 51,18,254, with 97,894 new cases. The toll jumped by 1,132 to 83,198. As many as 40,25,080 people have recovered from the infection so far, while the active case count crossed the 10-lakh mark.