Coronavirus sparks stormy political discourse

By Sfoorti Mishra

New Delhi, Feb 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choube on Wednesday slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his tweet in which he cast doubts over the government's efforts to prevent the disease from entering India.

Speaking to IANS he said: "It is very unfortunate that a leader of his (Gandhi) stature is doing politics over such a sensitive issue."

Slamming the former Congress President, Choube said: "His tweet indicates his thinking and intention. We have been doing our best not only for the people of our own country but for neighbouring countries too. But he is hell-bent on doing politics over a natural calamity, it is very unfortunate."

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday had tweeted: "The Corona Virus is an extremely serious threat to our people and our economy. My sense is the government is not taking this threat seriously.Timely action is critical "

The Centre, however, claims it is doing everything required to keep the deadly virus at bay.

The Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had made a detailed statement in the Lok Sabha on Monday on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China and some other countries and the action taken by the government to avoid the spread of the infection in India.

The government has evacuated the Indian students and other professionals working in Wuhan and neighboring cities in China's Hubei province. This included 7 Maldives nationals. The evacuees are being quarantined at the Manesar army camp and the Chhawla camp of the ITBP.

All passengers from flights coming from Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan and Thailand, apart from China, are also being screened at 21 airports at earmarked aerobridges.

So far, three positive cases of the coronavirus have been detected in Kerala.

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Source: IANS