Cong MLA extends support to PM's appeal to switch off lights

A Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh has supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to the people to switch off the lights at 9 pm on Sunday to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus. Congress MLA from Gwalior (South) Praveen Pathak, in a video message uploaded on social media on Sunday, urged people to light up lamps for nine minutes by rising above party politics and in honour of the prime minister.

When asked about it, Pathak told PTI that it is a matter of country's unity and not everything should be looked from a political angle. "I only supported the appeal made by the PM, who is the head of the country, and it should not be misunderstood. I support whenever someone talks about the nation...whichever political party that person might belong to," he said.

Modi had on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus. Last month, 22 Congress MLAs had resigned as legislators leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh.