Rajiv Bajaj blames lockdown for India’s flattened GDP curve

In a video interaction released recently, MD of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj spoke to Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi. 

India implemented a “draconian” lockdown that was porous and ended up decimating the economy, Rajiv Bajaj told Rahul Gandhi. Bajaj  was in dialogue with the Congress leader, as part of the party’s series on India's Covid-19 response and the lockdown. "You flattened the wrong curve. It is not the infection curve, it is the GDP curve. This is what we have ended (up) with—the worst of both worlds," Bajaj said.

According to him, reopening the economy will be a herculean task. He called for taking fear out of people's minds through a "very clear, aligned narrative" from none other than the Prime Minister. "We are not seeing a smooth, concerted, rhythmic movement towards unlocking. We tried to implement a hard lockdown which was still porous. So, I think we have ended up with the worst of both worlds,"

He said he thought it would take a long time to return to normalcy. India cannot save itself out of trouble, it has to sell itself out of trouble, Bajaj observed. The country needs a stimulus to demand, he added.