Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was admitted to the Chirayu Hospital in Bhopal on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19. Chouhan is the first chief minister in the country to have tested positive for the dreaded infection.
The chief minister took to Twitter to inform about getting admitted to the hospital, saying that he has been asked by the doctors to do so. Chouhan added that infected persons should not resist admission to hospital or insist on getting quarantined at home and should follow the instructions of the doctors.
“I appeal to all my associates to not be negligent, go for testing even if mild symptoms of COVID-19 are noticed and start treatment,” Chouhan said in the latest set of tweets.
While wishing for a quick recovery for Chouhan, Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh pointed out that the CM failed to maintain social distancing norms. In a tweet, Singh said that he was aggrieved to know that Chouhan was found infected with COVID-19. “I pray to God for your quick recovery. You should have followed social distancing norms, but you did not. Bhopal police registered FIR against me (for violation of norms during a protest on fuel hike) but how could they have done that to you? Take care in the future,” Singh said.
Former CM and MP Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath and BJP Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia also wished quick recovery to Chouhan through tweets.
Like Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, too, criticised CM Chouhan for failing to follow protocols and taking the pandemic lightly. In a series of tweets, Kamal Nath said that the news of his (Chouhan's) infection pained him and he wishes him quick recovery. "But it is a matter of regret that when we were serious about the pandemic, you sometimes called Corona a drama, sometimes 'darona' and sometimes called it a weapon to save government. You made different accusation on us and said various things. We said from the outset that it is a serious disease and there is need to take precautions and follow the protocols. If you had been alert, followed protocols, guidelines and preventive measures completely and not taken the pandemic lightly, maybe you would have remained safe. I pray to God and have confidence that you will recover soon and get back to work," he said.
Earlier in the day, Chouhan had tweeted to inform about being diagnosed with COVID-19 and urged all those who had come in close contact with him to get tested and go into quarantine. He said that with timely treatment, COVID-19 can be cured completely.
The chief minister said that he will try to continue to review COVID-19 situation in the state through video conferencing even while undergoing treatment. “I have been reviewing COVID-19 situation daily since March 25 and in my absence the meeting will be conducted by home minister Narottam Mishra, urban administration minister Bhupendra Singh, medical education minister Vishwas Sarang and health minister Prabhuram Choudhary.”
The chief minister’s COVID-19 positive status got confirmed on the day Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal went into 10-day complete lockdown. The decision of this lockdown was taken on July 22 after a big surge in positive cases was noticed in the state capital.
During the lockdown till August 3, government offices in Bhopal including the state secretariat will work with only essential staff and senior officers, the guidelines issued by the government says. It was also mentioned that the weekly meeting of the state cabinet will be held through video conferencing. With the chief minister hinting at remaining active at work even during treatment, functioning of the government is not likely to be hampered much, sources said.
Heightened political activity in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in Bhopal owing to the impending by-polls in the state, is considered one of the reasons for the surge of cases. There have been regular political events in the capital and elsewhere that Chouhan has participated in – the latest being the induction of ex-MLA of Congress, Narayan Patel into the BJP fold on July 23.
The chief minister also visited several places outside Bhopal during the course of the past week. He visited the Mahakal temple in Ujjain and attended a review meeting there on July 17, visited union minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s residence in Gwalior on July 20 to condole the death of Tomar’s brother and attended the funeral of MP governor Lalji Tandon at Lucknow.
On the last two visits, he was accompanied by state cooperatives minister Arvind Bhadoria, who tested positive on July 23. BJP state president V.D. Sharma, who also accompanied the CM during visits and attended several programmes with him, tested negative on Friday. Sharma’s wife has also tested negative.
The members of Chouhan’s family and his staff will also undergo COVID-19 testing.
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