New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday described the COVID-19 pandemic as a "huge challenge" as well as an "opportunity", and emphasized the need to mobilise the country's scientists, engineers and data experts to work on innovative solutions to deal with the crisis.

"The Covid19 pandemic is a huge challenge but it is also an opportunity," he said in a tweet.

"We need to mobilise our huge pool of scientists, engineers & data experts to work on innovative solutions needed during the crisis," the former Congress president said.

On Thursday, Gandhi had called for a united fight against the pandemic and said a lockdown is not the solution to defeat coronavirus.

He had asserted that aggressive testing is the "biggest weapon" to fight the virus.

Gandhi had also said the country is bigger than any disease as it knows how to deal with much bigger challenges.