On nod to Rahul Gandhi's Dec 28 Mumbai visit, Ajit Pawar cites Omicron spread

The Maharashtra deputy CM said if cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continue to increase, the administration would have to think about granting permission to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday the administration would have to think about granting permission to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to state capital Mumbai on December 28 if cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continue to increase. At present, there are 10 cases of the new highly transmissible strain in the state.

File photo of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar. 

Pawar, also a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, “If the cases of Omicron continue to increase like this, then we'll have to think.”

The Congress and NCP are ruling partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

On Wednesday, health minister Rajesh Tope said people do not need to panic about Omicron yet as the severity of the coronavirus variant is low.

"There are a total of 10 Omicron cases in Maharashtra till today. About 65 swabs have been sent for genome sequencing, their reports are awaited. Screenings are being conducted at international airports. The Omicron variant is spread over 54 countries so far. Transmissibility is higher. But, the severity or virulence is low. So we do not need to panic," Tope told reporters.