The Congress Working Committee will meet on Saturday to discuss the worsening Covid situation in the country, amid widespread criticism of the decisions to continue with the unrestricted election rallies and the Kumbh.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday flagged the issue of politicians’ role in spreading the coronavirus by saying: “On the one hand we ask people to follow Covid protocol and on the other hand crowds of lakhs of people continue to gather at election rallies and road shows. It has been going on since the Bihar elections. Politicians continued to aggressively campaign and the crowds kept on gathering. If politicians had wanted, they could have stopped the crowds by using options like virtual rallies.”

Gehlot added: “Congress president Sonia Gandhi has rightly said that we politicians are also to be blamed to some extent for the spread of the corona infection. Now a new corona variant has appeared and there is a frightening situation in the country. Stringent measures like lockdown and curfew are being resorted to.

“The Prime Minister should talk to the states in detail as he had done earlier. Even the judiciary and the Election Commission of India cannot shy away from their responsibilities. Despite opposition from the states, the Supreme Court and the high courts issued orders for holding panchayat and other local body elections. The Election Commission continued announcing polls simply to discharge its duty.”

Sonia had said at a meeting with Congress chief ministers and senior leaders a few days ago: “Should not public gatherings, including election rallies, be cancelled? Mass gatherings for elections and religious events have accelerated Covid, for which all of us are responsible to some extent. We need to accept this responsibility and keep the interest of the nation above our own.”

Sources said there was considerable unease among senior leaders about the abnormal involvement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah in elections despite a dangerous surge in Covid cases. The CWC will raise this issue on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi posted an old video of himself on social media in which he had predicted the grim scenario last year with the comment: “One year later, our people continue to suffer, our infrastructure continues to crumble and our Prime Minister continues to turn away from his responsibilities.”

He also tweeted: “Central Government’s Covid strategy: Stage 1 — Impose Tughlaqi lockdown. Stage 2 — Ghanti bajao. Stage 3 — Prabhu ke gun gao (Pray to God).”