New Delhi: A day after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot to follow Covid protocol, the Congress leader launched an attack on the BJP-led government and said all these are excuses to stop this Bharat Jodo Yatra, they are scared of India's truth, reported news agency ANI.
"It's their (BJP) new idea, they wrote a letter to me saying COVID is coming & stop the Yatra. All these are excuses to stop this Yatra, they are scared of India's truth," said Rahul while addressing people.
"This yatra will go to Kashmir. Now, they have come out with a new idea. They wrote me a letter that Covid was spreading, stop the yatra," Gandhi said while addressing a gathering in Ghasera village in Haryana's Nuh district.
"Now, they are coming up with excuses to stop the yatra. Wear masks, stop the yatra, Covid is spreading, these are all excuses," he said.
Targeting the BJP, which is in power at the Centre and in Haryana, Gandhi said it is scared of the truth.
"Hindustan ki shakti say, Hindustan ki Sachai say, yeh log dar gaye hai, yeh sachai hai (they have got scared of power and truth of the country. This is the truth)," the former Congress chief said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) advised people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour with immediate effect. The medical body asked people to avoid international travel and wear masks in all public places.
In a statement, the IMA said the situation was not alarming in India and there was no need to panic. "Prevention is better than cure. Therefore, all are advised to take the following necessary steps to overcome the impending Covid outbreak," the IMA said.
Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday hit out at Rahul saying that if Congress questioned him on the latest Covid protocols, it would be obstructing him from discharging his duties.
“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,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
Mandaviya on Tuesday wrote to Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, asking them to ensure that Covid-19 guidelines are strictly followed during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra otherwise suspend the rally.
"Three Rajasthan MPs informed me that several participants at Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra were diagnosed with Covid-19. The Himachal Pradesh CM also tested positive after attending the yatra. I took experts' views and wrote to Rahul Gandhi stating that Covid protocol should be followed in Bharat Jodo Yatra in order to ensure that Covid-19 doesn't spread in Rajasthan,” 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,” Mandaviya said.
Congress Will Follow COVID Guidelines, But Bharat Jodo Yatra Will Not Be Stopped: Salman Khurshid
Senior party leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday said, the Congress will keep all Coronavirus related rules, but the Bharat Jodo Yatra won't be halted, reported PTI.
Kurshid, the chairman of the yatra's coordination committee in Uttar Pradesh, stated to reporters in this location, "The Congress will follow all the precautions related to the prevention of Covid, but the yatra will not stop, will not stop, will not stop."
He was responding to a question regarding the march's impact of the letter.
The former union minister asserted that in a democratic system, each party and individual has the right to express their opinions.
He stated, "The government is scared of this Congress yatra, that is why various orders and letters are being issued."
He informed them that on January 3, a yatra led by Rahul Gandhi will enter Uttar Pradesh from the Loni area of Ghaziabad.
He continued, "After that it will enter Haryana via Baghpat and Shamli."
Mandaviya’s statement comes on the back of the ministry’s direction to states asking them to send all positive samples for genome sequencing amid a sudden surge in COVID -19 cases in several countries.
Four cases of the Omicron subvariant BF.7, the strain behind China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in India -- two in Gujarat and two in Odisha. In Gujarat, both the patients, who had foreign travel history, have recovered, PTI reported.
The new Omicron subvariant BF.7 is known to spread very fast and has a shorter incubation period.
(With PTI Inputs)