Kya log bhabhi ji ke papad kha ke theek ho gaye? Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut lauds Maharashtra government's COVID-19 handling

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday (September 17) slammed ‘some Rajya Sabha MPs’ for raising questions over Maharashtra government’s handling of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha during Parliament’s monsoon session, Raut asserted on the high number of coronavirus recoveries in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena MP noted that even the World Health Organisation (WHO) lauded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for keeping coronavirus outbreak under control in Dharavi, which is Asia's largest slum.

“My mother and brother are infected with Covid-19. Many people in Maharashtra are recovering also. Today, the situation in Dharavi is under control. WHO has appreciated efforts of BMC. I want to state these facts as some members here were criticising Maharashtra government yesterday,” Raut said in the Upper House.

“I want to ask the members how did so many people recover? Kya log bhabhi ji ke papad kha karke theek ho gaye? This isn’t a political fight but a fight to save the lives of people,” he added.

The 'bhabhi ji ke papad' comment was in reference to Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal ‘s endorsement of ‘Bhabhiji Papad,’ which, according to minister, can help in creating antibodies to fight against the coronavirus. Interestingly, the Meghwal himself tested positive for coronavirus few days ago.

Meanwhile, a record single-day increase of 97,894 infections pushed India's coronavirus COVID-19 tally to over 51 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 40 lakh on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry data. 

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,253, while the death toll climbed to 83,198 with the virus claiming 1,132 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries surged to 40,25,079 while the activecases of COVID-19 crossed 10 lakh for the first time.