New Delhi: After facing a backlash from Congress over the letter asking Rahul Gandhi to adopt Covid protocols during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday claimed that he took experts' views before writing the letter and questioning him on it was akin to obstructing him from doing his duty.
In a letter to Rahul Gandhi and Gehlot, Mandaviya had asked them to ensure that proper Covid guidelines are being followed. In response to Mandaviya's letter, Congress MP Karti Chidamabaram questioned the Centre for targeting only grand old party, that too, when there are no restrictions on other public gatherings.
“To ensure that Covid-19 doesn't spread in Rajasthan, I took experts' views and wrote to Rahul Gandhi stating that Covid-19 protocol should be followed in Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Mandaviya said after the backlash. Mandaviya claimed that three Rajasthan MPs had written to him that a number of Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra participants have been detected Covid-19 positive.
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“The Himachal Pradesh chief minister also tested positive after attending this yatra,” Mandaviya said. “It is my duty to ensure that Covid-19 doesn't spread in the country. If someone thinks that how can a minister question them, then what can we do about their mindset? Questioning me on this is like obstructing me from doing my duty,” the health minister reponded.
Earlier, Congress had accused the government of selectively picking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra while pointing out that the BJP was taking out yatras in Karnataka and Rajasthan and asked if Health Minister Mandaviya had sent letters to their organisers too. Congress leader Pawan Khera pointed to the lack of restrictions in public transport and asked the government to announce Covid protocols, which he said the party would follow.
The communication said, only vaccinated people should be allowed to participate in the yatra. In the letter, the Union Health Minister had also advised that if the implementation of COVID protocol is not possible, then the Bharat Jodo Yatra be postponed in the national interest and taking note of the public health emergency.
Referring to the letter signed by the three MPs, Mandaviya said they have sought suspension of the yatra in national interest if adherence to Covid protocols cannot be ensured keeping in view concerns around public health.
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The three MPs, in their letter on December 20, mentioned how the risk of Covid spread has "increased" as people from other states are coming to Rajasthan to take part in the march and claimed that symptoms have shown up in many of them after the participation.
The MPs also highlighted how Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tested positive for coronavirus infection after going back following participation in the event. The Union health minister also attached the letter signed by the MPs to the Congress leaders and asked him to address their concerns.
The Yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, started from Kanyakumari on September 7 and has covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It will enter Delhi on December 24, and after a break of about eight days, move on to Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and finally, Jammu and Kashmir.
