Health Min Mansukh Mandaviya Urges Rahul to Postpone Bharat Jodo Yatra Amid Recent COVID Scare

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to think about cancelling the Bharat Jodo Yatra if adherence to Covid procedures cannot be observed, citing concerns expressed by three BJP MPs regarding the spread of the coronavirus.

Three MPs from Rajasthan, P P Chaudhary, Nihal Chand, and Devji Patel, raised concerns in a letter to Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday. Mandaviya said in the letter that only those who have been vaccinated be allowed to march and that Covid protocols, including the use of masks and sanitizers, should be strictly adhered to.

On Wednesday, the yatra arrived in Haryana from Rajasthan.

Additionally, the MPs have asked the Union minister to make sure that participants are segregated before and after the march.

Referring to the letter the three MPs signed, Mandaviya stated that if adherence to Covid protocols cannot be assured while taking public health concerns into consideration, the yatra should be suspended in the interest of the nation.

In their letter dated December 20, the three MPs stated that since individuals from various states are travelling to Rajasthan to participate in the march, the possibility of Covid spreading has “increased” and that many of them have developed symptoms as a result.

The MPs also brought up how Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, tested positive for a coronavirus infection after returning from the event. Additionally, the Union Health Minister included the letter that the MPs had signed and addressed to the Congress leaders, requesting that they be addressed.