PUNE: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkar on Thursday said the Maharashtra government should take a decision on lifting the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state by August 10, failing which a protest would be launched.
He alleged that the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has shown that it was "incompetent" in tackling the pandemic.
The Maharashtra government had last week extended the lockdown in the state till August 31 in view of rising coronavirus cases.
Addressing a press conference here, Ambedkar said, "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should explain why restrictions have been imposed in the state. People are already suffering due to the economic slowdown. Therefore, the government should let people start their businesses and activities."
"If the government does not decide about Unlock by August 10, then we will break the law and stage protests," he added.
"The government declared hotspots during the pandemic. But the official statistics shows that the number of deaths in 2020, including the COVID-19 fatalities, was less as compared to the death figures in 2019, when there was no outbreak," the Dalit leader claimed.
Replying to a query about the chief minister, Ambedkar said, "It is possible to become a leader of a caste or a religion. But Uddhav Thackeray should become a leader of the state."
He said the universities should decide whether they want to the conduct the final year examinations or not.