New Delhi, Sep 16 (TIWN) Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Wednesday questioned the Union government's claim that the nationwide lockdown prevented up to 29 lakh coronavirus cases and lack of data on assistance to and deaths of migrant labourers.

On Monday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had told the Lok Sabha: "The nationwide lockdown, a bold decision by the government, is testimony to the fact that India collectively stood up to manage Covid-19. It has been estimated that this decision prevented 14-29 lakh cases and 37,000 to 78,000 deaths."

Sharma, a former Union Minister, also questioned why the government had no data on assistance provided to migrant workers and the number of deaths while they were returning to their native place after the imposition of the lockdown.