The South India Times
(Special Correspondent)
A letter from the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on the last leg of his “Bharat Jodo” Yatra (walkathon), amidst the entry of new variant BF.7 of Coronavirus has stirred a needless hornet’s nest and an interesting political slugfest.
Is the ruling BJP rattled with the unprecedented ‘crowds’ drawn at Rahul Gandhi’s padayatra? This was the reaction from the Congress and its well-entrenched eco-system. The Congress which was on the back foot after suffering a humiliating defeat in the Gujarat elections appears to have got a chance to settle political scores with the ruling BJP. Their objection looks justified. Why did the Union Health Ministry not show the same concern and send a similar communiqué to other states. In this instance, the BJP appears to have shot itself in the foot. But, the BJP tries to justify its circular by citing the example of how their leader and chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukku, has become a pandemic victim. According to news reports, Sukhvinder Singh had isolated himself after undergoing the Covid test, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a result, all his programs were rescheduled. This was shortly after he took the oath as the CM of Himachal Pradesh.
Similarly, the Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia too tested positive for Covid-19 after taking part in a public contact program.”I tested positive for Covid during a medical examination.