Nisar Dharma
Srinagar: J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina has been tested positive for coronavirus and shifted to Narayana hospital in Katra, Jammu.
Raina announced the same on Tuesday on his Twitter handle which translated to: “Hello Friends, I was in Kashmir / Bandipura for 5 days after the assassination of BJP leaders Mr. Wasim Bari, Mr. Omar Sultan and his father in Bandipura by terrorists, today I had a mild fever, got the test done, COVID-19 + in the report Has come, No other Symptoms .. Jai Mata Di .”
The development has sent entire BJP leadership in a tizzy as Raina had Sunday accompanied most of them to pay their condolences to the family of the slain party leader Wasim Bari in Bandipora, who was killed along with his father and brother in a militant attack last week.
The leaders Raina was with included BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, Union minister Jitendra Singh, BJP national Vice President, Avinash Rai Khanna, and others.
Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur confirmed that all of them along with the family of the deceased BJP leader will be tested for COVID-19.
“All those who came in contact with him including those accompanying him to Bandipora or at the Srinagar party office will be tested,” he said.
Thakur added that Ram Madhav as well as Dr Jitendra Singh, who he said travelled in the same vehicle with Ravinder Raina, too will be tested for COVID-19.
The family of the slain BJP leader in Bandipora, Thakur said, also will be tested for the virus.
Soon after it was known that Raina had tested positive, Jitendra Singh announced on Twitter that he had gone into self quarantine.
“Have gone into Self-Quarantine with immediate effect from 4 PM today, after receiving the news about Corona positive test of J&K BJP President Sh Ravinder Raina who had accompanied us from Srinagar to Bandipora on 12th July,” he tweeted.
Following suit, Ram Madhav said he too was quarantining himself.
“Am quarantining myself for a few days since my colleague n BJP J&K President Ravinder Raina tested +ve for Corona today n I was with him 48 hrs ago in Srinagar. I tested -ve for Corona 4 times during travel in last 2 weeks. Yet taking precautions to ensure safety of me n others,” Madhav tweeted.
Pictures shared by BJP on Twitter on Sunday show Madhav holding the child of the slain BJP leader in his lap with Raina (letting the mask hang down his chin) sitting very close to the two and trying to even touch the child’s face with his hand.
Besides, Madhav also attended a condolence conference at Srinagar’ Tagore Hall later that day, which was attended by scores of BJP leaders and workers.
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