Some would laugh at it, yet it is a matter of utter disgrace that while the country is still struggling to contain the deadly H1N1 virus, our ministers continue to stay blissfully ignorant to even its existence.
Where one of them says that being Indian and saying ‘Namaste' with folded hands can prevent the spread of disease, other thinks that it is the ‘BJP MLAs' who are spreading the virus.
No doubt it is one good precautionary practice however it can definitely not help cure a pandemic disease.
Surprisingly, the ministers who are coming out with such bizarre notions of the deadly disease hold posts no less than cabinet ministers of different states.
Yesterday only, in the State assembly of Haryana, Health minister Anil Vij said that if we ‘become Indian and start greeting others with folded hands', instead of adopting hand-shake culture of foreign countries then it would prevent the spread of Swine Flu.
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Along with several others, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar supported him willingly and they even insisted the Speaker of the House to pass a resolution which may compel people to leave the foreign habit and adopt Indianism to fight the flu.
Similarly oblivion was Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee till some days before when in an interview to media she, blissfully ignorant of the causes of Swine Flu, said that it is caused due to biting of mosquitoes.
Even ignoble to this was when cabinet minister of U.P., Azam Khan, played politics over something that has caused around 15 lives in his own state with nearly 100 people infected due to the virus.
While in a debate over compensation to sugarcane farmers of the state when the BJP MLAs opposed his stand, he spurted that it is the BJP MLAs who are spreading swine Flu in the State.
Seems as if the number of deaths is too less for them to accept the severity of the pandemic. That is why; they continue to play with it while the people of their state toil to get rid of the fatal flu.
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While surveying a hospital in Punjab, the Health Minister of the state Surjeet Kumar Jyani also remarked in a similar manner by saying that out of 190 cases detected of the flu in Punjab, 40-45 deaths are no big deal.
Not to be missed an even bizarre statement from a Mayor in Mumbai – Snehal Ambekar, who said that Swine Flu is a disease related to heart and lungs. And that the Municipal Corporation should plant more trees in order to get rid of it.
How appalling are these remarks when almost 1500 have succumbed to swine flu and around 30,000 cases have been reported to the virus in different states of the country.
