Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav is back in the news again. On Thursday, he took to Instagram to make bizarre analogies and allegations in light of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.
Three minutes into his rant in the video, Yadav claimed that the State government in Bihar has failed to contain the spread of the deadly virus. To substantiate his claims, the former Health Minister of Bihar alleged that the incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been diagnosed with Coronavirus. “Nitish Kumar ji ko bhi Corona ho chuka hai. Vo bhi quarantine centre may jai (Nitish Kumar has contracted Conronavirus. He is also in a quarantine centre),” Tej Pratap Yadav said. Later in the video, he reiterated the same claim and alleged that it was the very reason why Nitish Kumar has chosen to stay indoors and not amongst common citizens, unlike his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav.
Tej Pratap Yadav then went on to make a false equivalence between scientific research and policy decision. He said, “Narendra Modi said that vaccine for Coronavirus will be available from August 15. Why should it be available on such a later date? A lot of people are dying… I want to tell you that people are dying every minute in Bihar.” The former Health Minister then went on to draw parallels between demonetisation and Coronavirus vaccine.
“Launch the vaccine tonight… Yes, launch it tonight. If you can demonetise currency overnight, then, you can launch the vaccine too,” he remarked. He then went on an uninterrupted rant on demonetisation and added that the vaccine should have been made available earlier, in complete disregard for the efforts of scientists. “Aap laiye vaccine, hum mana kar rahe hai kya ki aap mat laiye.. Aap aaj raat mein laiye vaccine agar aap mein daam hai (Am I stopping you from making the vaccine available ? Launch it tonight if you have the guts)”, Tej Pratap Yadav reiterated.
In a startling claim, he claimed that all doctors and nurses have contracted Coronavirus and there is none to treat the frontline workers. Tej Pratap Yadav said, “They have been made to rest in beds, outside the hospital. They have nothing to eat or medicines to get treated. What are you (Nitish Kumar) doing? You are sleeping because you have Coronavirus.”
Shocking remarks by Tej Pratap Yadav
This is not the first time when the erstwhile Health Minister of Bihar has made comments that have taken people by shock. Earlier, Without taking names, he chad ompared journalist Arnab Goswami to a “virus” and the cops’ interrogation to the “vaccine”. He thus expressed his support for the targeted harassment of a journalist at the hands of law enforcement.
While addressing a gathering in Vaishali in February, Yadav equated Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to ‘Kansa’ and asserted that he will be ‘killed’ in 2020. Tej Pratap Yadav claimed that Kumar is a “Kansa” who will be killed in a “Ras Leela”. Last year, he compared himself and his brother Tejashwi to Lord Krishna and Arjuna respectively. He said that whoever would try to come between him and his brother would be slain by the Sudarshan Chakra (Lord Krishna’s weapon).
