Coronavirus: uproar in Parliament over Hanuman Beniwal’s comment on Sonia Gandhi

Jaipur: Member of Parliament from Nagaur constituency of Rajasthan Hanuman Beniwal created uproar in the Parliament on Thursday. He said that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should be screened for Coronavirus as both hail from Italy.

Referring to Italian tourists who were tested positive for the deadly virus, Beniwal said that Sonia Gandhi’s family including Rahul and Priyanka should also be screened. The Speaker instructed not to include the comment in the proceedings. The Congress MPs protested and shouted slogans.

“Italy is severely impacted by the virus. I request the government to have the Gandhi family screened,” Beniwal commented. He posted the comment on his Facebook wall also.  

Sixteen Italian tourists who were on a tour in Rajasthan recently were tested positive. Two of them have been quarantined in Jaipur. The tourists had visited six cities and stayed in several hotels. Their hotel rooms were sealed and the people who came in contact with these tourists were screened. Many people are kept in isolation and the authorities are waiting to receive the test results from the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

Hanuman Beniwal was earlier associated with the BJP and won his first assembly election on a BJP ticket in 2008. He fought as an independent candidate in 2013 and formed his own party  – Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in 2018.