Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor on Monday questioned why Union home minister Amit Shah, who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Sunday, chose to go to a private hospital for treatment.
Shah was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in Haryana on Sunday afternoon after he tested positive for the viral disease.
“Wonder why our Home Minister, when ill, chose not to go to AIIMS but to a private hospital in a neighbouring state. Public institutions need the patronage of the powerful if they are to inspire public confidence,” Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in Lok Sabha, tweeted.
Also read: Home minister Amit Shah tests Covid-19 positive, hospitalised
The Congress leader was reacting to a tweet on the state-run All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, which was established in 1956 when Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister.
Amit Shah, who is the first Union cabinet minister to have tested positive for Covid-19, had announced the news on Twitter. He also requested those who came in his contact in the last few days to isolate themselves and get tested.
{{/usCountry}}Amit Shah, who is the first Union cabinet minister to have tested positive for Covid-19, had announced the news on Twitter. He also requested those who came in his contact in the last few days to isolate themselves and get tested.
{{/usCountry}}“After showing initial symptoms, I underwent a test for coronavirus and the report came out positive. My health is fine but I am being admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors,” he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and junior environment minister Babul Supriyo, who were among those who met Shah in last few days, have gone into isolation.
Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has also said he has isolated himself as a precautionary measure after a meeting on Saturday with Shah.
Also read: Ravi Shankar Prasad isolates himself after meeting Amit Shah
Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, who was attending regular meetings with Shah, few joint secretaries and the home minister’s personal staff as well as security personnel deployed in his close proximity are also likely to be in isolation and undergo tests, government officials familiar with the matter said.
Shah attended the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Wednesday, in which the government approved the new National Education Policy. However, social distancing was strictly followed at the cabinet meeting at the PM’s residence, the officials cited above have said.
Shah is learnt to have attended crucial meetings on security, party meetings and met several persons at his office during the last few days.
Before the Union home minister, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tested positive for Covid-19 and then Karnataka’s BS Yediyurappa also contracted the disease.
Both the BJP leaders are also admitted at private hospitals in Bengaluru and Bhopal respectively.