Rahul Gandhi has on Tuesday said that India is not testing enough for COVID-19 and that it is in the company of the likes of Niger in this regard. "India delayed the purchase of testing kits and is now critically short of them. With just 149 tests per million Indians, we are now in the company of Laos (157), Niger (182) and Honduras (162). Mass testing is the key to fighting the virus. At present we are nowhere in the game," the Congress parliamentarian tweeted, echoing the sentiments of many critics of the government.

Many hours before Modi's Tuesday address, the Congress leader opined that the "one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners."

He recommended that India needs a “smart upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen."