KOLKATA 15 OCT: BJP youth wing’s West Bengal president Soumitra Kha in his statement claims that the coloured water used by the police to disperse the crowd during the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha rally on October 8, contained COVID-19 virus. This has sparked a huge controversy, especially among doctors, who claim that it is yet to be proven whether the water contained Coronavirus or not.
Kha demands an impartial investigation on this matter. He also claimed he had proof that has encouraged him to comment on this statement.
Moreover, Kha continued to claim that many virus-infected swab samples were left at Beleghata ID Hospital and the same were mixed with the same water that was used to disperse the mob last week.
This has given way to the start of controversy inside the Opposition political parties, now. The political parties are now blaming the saffron party for unnecessarily trying to portray an unscientific picture in front of the masses.
Firhad Hakim, urban development minister, said, “We cannot respond to any such unscientific comments made by any BJP leader. There is no conclusive evidence to prove that the coloured water contained COVID-19 virus.”
According to several TMC leaders, BJP had also used coloured water to disperse an angry mob at a protest in Delhi in 2013.
Sujan Chakraborty, CPI(M) leader, said, “Only BJP can make such irresponsible statements. There is no scientific evidence in support of this statement.”
BJP MP approaches Human Rights Commission
Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta has submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. The letter complains about the irresponsible and inhuman behaviour of the police at the BYJM demonstration on October 8. It emphasises about the use of coloured water used by the police to break up the gatherings. “At several places, the water was mixed with colour. It is pertinent to note that the use of coloured water has been the hallmark of the Chinese authorities in dealing with the protests in Hong Kong,” mentioned Dasgupta.
Here is a tweet from Dasgupta’s official twitter page on this regard
Moreover, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee has written a letter to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday. In her letter, she urges him to seek a report from the West Bengal government over the use of “chemicals” in water cannons that were used at the party rally, last week.
Chatterjee alleges in her letter that “Harmful chemicals” were used to disperse the “peaceful crowd of protestors”, which was unprecedented in India.
BJP’s reacts to Kha’s claim
Kha’s statement has led to an embarrassing situation in the state’s BJP unit.
Shamik Bhattacharya, BJP leader, said, ”I do not have any knowledge whether coloured water contains coronavirus or not. But, if Kha has said such a statement maybe he has got some proof in this regard. This is not BJP‘s statement.”
However, another BJP leader, Jayprakash Majumder, defended Kha’s statement. He said, ”No doctors can conclusively say that there is no proof that the water used in the rally cannot contain Coronavirus. Kha made this statement, as he has got proof. Moreover, it is illegal to throw coloured water at people. It’s toxic and harmful.”
According to senior BJP leaders, the Supreme Court has already instructed not to use coloured water on protestors after it was used in the state of Kashmir to disperse the mob. BJP seems all determined to fight tooth and nail against this illegal move of using coloured water by the Mamata Banerjee government during the BYJM Nabanna Abiyan rally.
Doctors Opine
Senior doctors are of the opinion that there is no study to indicate that the water contained Coronavirus.
Dr Yogiraj Ray, a senior virologist associated with Beleghata ID Hospital, said, “We are not aware of the fact that the water contained Coronavirus. There is no scope that swab samples can be taken out from here and mixed with water. The swab samples are kept in the fridge at a temperature soon after it is collected from the patient’s body and then it is put in the machine. So, there cannot be any such probabilities.”
BJP Leader’s feeble-minded take on Coronavirus
From time and again, BJP leaders have been commenting unscientific claims about the Corona virus.
- BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said that drinking cow urine can cure Coronavirus.
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while making a speech during a week-long International Yoga Festival held at Rishikesh early March this year, said that the deadly diseases such as the coronavirus can be cured by practising yoga regularly. Yogi Adityanath also said that people need not worry about the virus at all if they overcome mental stress.
- Swami Chakrapani, president of the Hindu Mahasabha claimed that Corona isn’t a virus but merely an avatar for the protection of the poor creatures. Swami said, “They (coronavirus) have come to give the message of death and punishment to the ones who eat them.” The Swami even had a solution to the pandemic and urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to create an idol of Corona and seek forgiveness. He even assured the Indians who are believers of the coware immune to COVID-19 because of their faith.
- Assam BJP MLA Suman Haripriya too had attempted at finding a bizarre cure for coronavirus. This seemed to leave almost everyone quite bewildered. During a discussion on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh during Special Mention on the first day of the budget session of the Assembly, she said that cow urine purifies any area and that she believes that cow urine and cow dung can be used to cure coronavirus.
- BJP MP from Bhopal constituency, Pragya Thakur shared a video on July 25 and tweeted that reciting Hanuman Chalisa five times a day till August 5 can rid the world of coronavirus.
- On July 24, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had released a video, endorsing a brand of ‘papad’ called the ‘Bhabiji Papad’. He claimed that it has all the necessary ingredients required to boost a person’s immunity and would help defeat the novel coronavirus.
- On July 22, Madhya Pradesh Protem Speaker and Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leader, Rameshwar Sharma, was quoted claiming that he believes that the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya would lead to the end of Coronavirus pandemic.
- Union Minister, Ramdas Bandu Athawale’s video chanting ‘Corona Go, Go Corona’ went viral in March. It became the inspiration for several remixes and memes on social media.
Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India stands at 7.31 million and the total number of deaths climbed to 1,11, 266 till date.