Getting crowd will be irresponsible: Tharoor suggests canceling R-Day festivities
(Sourced from PTI)
Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has suggested canceling the Republic Day festivities saying getting crowds to cheer the parade, as usual, would be irresponsible, after the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled his India visit due to the coronavirus situation in the UK. Johnson was scheduled to attend the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as the Chief Guest.
Now that @BorisJohnson’s visit to India this month has been cancelled due to the #COVIDSecondWave, we don’t have a Chief Guest on #RepublicDay, why not go one step farther cancel the festivities altogether? Getting crowds to cheer the parade as usual would be irresponsible.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 5, 2021
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Johnson on Tuesday, during which the British leader reiterated his thanks for India's invitation but regretted his inability to attend. Johnson, on Monday, had announced a new stay-at-home lockdown in the UK as his medical chiefs warned that the National Health Service was under threat of being overwhelmed by the rising infection rates.
"Prime Minister expressed his understanding of the exceptional situation in the UK, and conveyed his best wishes for the quick control of the pandemic spread," an official statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said. "He looked forward to receiving Prime Minister Johnson in India at the earliest opportunity after normalization of the situation," it added.
Accepting the invitation earlier, Johnson had said, "As a key player in the Indo-Pacific region, India is an increasingly indispensable partner for the United Kingdom as we work to boost jobs and growth, confront shared threats to our security and protect our planet."
