Amid shocking news, the Union Minister at the Centre Smriti Irani has been tested positive for covid-19. The actor-turned-politician informed the world about her health condition through a tweet on Wednesday.
Smriti Irani, along with the covid test result, also asked everyone who came in proximity with her to take precautions and get tested to eliminate the chance of the infection.
Her Twitter handle’s post read, “It is rare for me to search for words while making an announcement; hence here’s me keeping it simple – I’ve tested positive for COVID and would request those who came in contact with me to get themselves tested at the earliest,” she wrote.
As the Bihar elections are going to be held soon, the 44-year-old was actively participating in the campaigns to gather votes. Her involvement is to garner support for the National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar.
Ms. Irani entered politics in the year 2003 with membership in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She was made the vice-president of Maharashtra’s Youth Wing in 2004. The same year, she also stood in the elections for the 14thLokSabha from the constituency of ChandniChowk. However, Kapil Sibal votes outnumbered hers and she did not succeed.
However, in 2010 her political career graph saw a sharp rise as she became the All India President for the women’s wing of BJP. When BJP came to power on the Centre, she was made the Union Minister for Human Resources and Development, the post she currently holds. However, Ms. Irani had to go through accusations as there were controversies revolving around her claimed qualifications.
In the race against coronavirus, many ministers too have tested positive for the infection including Home Minister Amit Shah, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal and others. However, some of them have recovered like Amit Shah while others succumbed to the virus.
Although the government says the single-day number of cases has reduced, India is inching towards the 80-lakh label. The country reported 43, 893 new infections with 508 deaths in a matter of 24 hours. It is only 7 lakh cases away from the US, which is currently the worst affected country in the world.
