Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu's proclamation that “only God can save us” amid an alarming rise in coronavirus cases in the state has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties.

During a visit to Chitradurga on Wednesday, the minister said he expects cases to rise in the next two months and went on to add that “only God can save us.”

Speaking in Kannada, the minister hit out at the Opposition for criticising the government, during which he also made the controversial reference.

“Today, the Opposition says the cases are rising because of the government's neglect. The accusations are far from the truth. Tell me whose hands things are in now? Today, only God can save us,” Sriramulu said.

The Opposition has criticised the statement, stating that it reflects the BJP government’s inability to manage the rising cases in the state.

“Karnataka health minister saying “Only God can save us” reflects poorly on the BS Yediyurappa government’s ability to handle the COVID crisis. Why do we need such as government if they cannot tackle the pandemic? This government’s incompetency has left citizens to God’s mercy,” Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar tweeted on Thursday.

Karnataka has seen a sharp spike in cases over the last few weeks, with the state recording the highest single-day jump on Wednesday with 3,176 new cases.

The state government has put several districts, including Bengaluru, under lockdown for a week as cases spike. Bengaluru saw 1,975 new cases on July 15, its highest single-day jump so far.