WITH HEALTH Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to either follow “all Covid-19 guidelines” during his Bharat Jodo Yatra or suspend it “in national interest”, the Congress hit back at the government on Wednesday, accusing it of selectively targeting its programme. In a letter addressed to Rahul and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday, Mandaviya wrote: “Please ensure that in the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, all Covid-19 guidelines are strictly followed, masks and sanitisers are used, and only those vaccinated against Covid-19 participate. People must isolate themselves before and after they join the yatra… If it is not possible to follow these Covid-19 protocols, then, keeping the public health situation in mind, please suspend the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the national interest.” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya y'day wrote to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi & Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. Letter reads that COVID guidelines be strictly followed during Bharat Jodo Yatra & use of masks-sanitiser be implemented; mentions that only vaccinated people participate pic.twitter.com/cRIyZz0DLY — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022 The yatra completed its Rajasthan leg on Tuesday and entered Haryana on Wednesday morning. Mandaviya said he wrote the letter after three MPs from Rajasthan wrote to him saying many people who had participated in the yatra had contracted the infection. He said Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who participated in the yatra some days ago, had also tested positive. “I consulted experts in the ministry and, on the basis of those discussions, I wrote letters to both Gehlot and Gandhi. I asked them to take adequate precautions and follow Covid protocol. But, since this morning, I have been subjected to questioning. As the Health Minister of the Government of India, it is my responsibility to ensure that Covid doesn’t spread,” said Mandaviya. Congress leaders asked if he would send similar letters to the BJP’s Karnataka and Rajasthan units which are also organising yatras. Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary in charge of communications, pointed out that Parliament was meeting normally and masks were no longer compulsory anywhere, including on flights. “The BJP has organised yatras in Rajasthan and Karnataka. There has been no advisory from the Centre to states of late, except the one issued yesterday on genome sequencing. It also bears recall that in March 2020, the Modi government delayed imposition of lockdown by at least a week to enable the toppling of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh,” he said. Saying that “public health is far too serious an issue on which to play party politics”, he added: “If there is a protocol for gatherings, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will abide by it undoubtedly”. “The Union Health Minister writes to Rahul Gandhi on the basis of a letter sent to him by a BJP MP from Rajasthan who alleges that Bharat Jodo Yatra has not been following Covid protocol. This MP’s letter was sent following the enormous success of Bharat Jodo Yatra in his state,” said Ramesh. “I can understand that the BJP is afraid and is in trouble after seeing the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Pawan Khera, AICC media department head, spoke on similar lines. “We are wondering why a similar letter was not sent to the president of the BJP in Rajasthan, Satish Poonia, who is carrying out a Jan Akrosh Yatra there. We understand there is not much of a response to the Jan Akrosh Yatra. There are no people there.” Saying that the BJP was also organising a yatra in Karnataka, he said: “Has the health minister also sent this letter to the Karnataka BJP? We want to know. Today, if you were to travel by air, nobody would ask you to wear a mask or use sanitiser.” Why has the government of India not introduced stringent measures in public transport, he asked. “Why just Rahul Gandhi, why just Congress party, why just Bharat Jodo Yatra? Have they postponed the Parliament session? If physical Parliament can take place, if the Jan Akrosh Yatra can take place, if the BJP yatra in Karnataka can take place, if there is no mask compulsory in air travel, why are you picking on Rahul Gandhi and Bharat Jodo Yatra? Please announce Covid protocol, we will all follow it,” he said. In a series of tweets, Gehlot accused the BJP of attempting to suppress the groundswell of support for the Congress that the yatra had generated. “This clearly shows that BJP’s aim is to disturb the Bharat Jodo Yatra, fearing the increasing public support. Two days ago, the Prime Minister held a rally in Tripura where no Covid protocol was followed. During the second wave of Covid, the PM addressed huge rallies in Bengal. If the purpose of the Union Health Minister was not political, then his concern is justified, then he should have written the first letter to the Prime Minister,” he said. Responding to the Congress attack, Mandaviya said he was doing his duty and subjecting him to such questioning at the behest of a “particular family” amounted to obstruction from discharging his duty. “I am a small member in pradhan sevak’s team…How can I question special people? If that is the mindset then I don’t have any answers,” he said.
