Congress attacks over UP 'disinfectant spraying' video; BJP fires Wayanad clip counter

An argument erupted on Monday after a video showed some officials in UP's Bareilly district spraying chemicals or 'disinfectant' on migrants who were returning to their villages from Delhi and Noida. Reacting to it, Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday took to Twitter and without naming the ruling BJP government said that its time to "sanitise our politics"

'Treat them with dignity'

The Congress leader said that these migrant workers work in factories, restaurants, hotels, they harvest crops, they work in construction projects, highways and in the homes of the people. Sibal added that "They Build India and they should be treated with dignity"

After the incident, a similar video emerged from Kerala which is reportedly from the third week of March. In the video, it can be seen that a group of about 40 bikers at a check-post on the Kerala-Karnataka border in Muthanga were seen sprayed with a liquid to "disinfect" them. As per reports, however, the toxicity of the spray in the latter case was lower than that used in UP, which even the local administration has condemned.

"India fights Corona while 'The Lobby' fights India"

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya shared the Wayanad video on Twitter and hit back at the Congress and other parties for blaming the BJP govt in UP whereas a similar thing happened in Kerala. Malviya, on Twitter, wrote, "This is Kerala, where agencies are mass ‘spraying’ people crossing borders. But all the outrage is reserved for UP because a saffron-clad monk of the BJP is the Chief Minister and is doing a good job!" Wayanad's MP is Rahul Gandhi.

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However, Kerala officials later claimed that they only used ‘a combination of soap and water' and not chemicals.  The Centre on Monday said action has been taken against the officials who sprayed disinfectant on migrant workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly. v “Bareilly District Magistrate has clarified that some employees took an overzealous step due to ignorance. Action has been taken against them,” Lav Aggarwal, joint secretary, ministry of health, told reporters in Delhi.

India on Monday witnessed 227 new coronavirus cases, the biggest spike in a day so far, taking the total number of infection cases in the country to 1251. 01 people who were infected with the coronavirus have been discharged after receiving treatment.

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