Nana Patole's Nigeria-Namibia Gaffe: BJP Mocks Congress Leader For Linking Lumpy Virus To Arrival Of Cheetahs

Will poverty, unemployment, and inflation ends by bringing cheetahs to India, and can farmers and the country's borders be secure by bringing these cheetahs, Patole said. 

New Delhi: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Monday linked the spread of lumpy virus disease among cattle to the cheetahs brought from Namibia and released last month in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, as reported by news agency PTI. While addressing the reporters in Bhandara, Patole said that, for the first time, to destroy farmers, diseases like the lumpy virus were being brought to India, PTI reported.

“Lumpy virus disease is spreading from Nigeria. We brought cheetahs from Nigeria. There was an event on this on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday (September 17),” PTI quoted Patole as saying. Reacting to Patole’s allegations, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted “cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia, and not Nigeria" and tagged Patole.

Will poverty, unemployment, and inflation ends by bringing cheetahs to India, and can farmers and the country's borders be secure by bringing these cheetahs, Patole further said. 

“But by making this (bringing cheetahs to India) an event and bringing foreign disease to the country…never before cows and oxen have died due to such disease. For the first time, to destroy the farmers, such diseases are being brought to India,” Patole alleged, as reported by PTI.

He said farmers now know the true face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will soon show the ruling dispensation its place.

Earlier, eight cheetahs arrived in the country on September 17 from Namibia by a special flight and were released by Prime Minister Modi in the Kuno National Park.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday also reacted to Patole's ‘Cheetah’ remark and said that the latter talks ignorantly for media attention, otherwise he won’t be seen altogether, as reported by news agency ANI.

“Nana Patole (Maharashtra Congress chief) does not even know where the Cheetahs were brought from. He has a hobby of talking without knowledge, as he knows that it will run in the media. Otherwise, he won’t be seen altogether,” said Fadnavis while talking to mediapersons in Mumbai, as reported by ANI.

BJP Leader and Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha also reacted to Patole's comment and callled it a "a laughable statement". "This is a laughable statement from Doctor Patole, he from his statement has made this disease as a non-serious issue," Patole told ANI. "Under the leadership of PM Modi, arrangements have been made for the cows to get vaccinated".

Mangal Prabhat Lodha also added, "if Sonia ji wants she can give her Nobel prize from Congress side."

(With Inputs from agencies')