New Delhi: Several Members of Parliament, including TMC's Derek O'Brien and Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel, on Friday went into self-quarantine following the announcement by BJP MP Dushyant Singh and his mother, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, that they were isolating themselves after attending a party with singer Kanika Kapoor who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Singh was among the many MPs who attended a breakfast meeting hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 18 as well as a Parliamentary panel meeting on transport, tourism and culture attended by around 20 MPs on Wednesday.
Sources said after attending the party in Lucknow along with the Bollywood singer who is now undergoing treatment for coronavirus, Singh also attended an industrialist and former MP's birthday party and one more party. He also attended the BJP parliamentary party meeting on March 17.
"This government is putting us all at risk. The PM says isolate yourself but the Parliament is on. I was sitting next to Dushyant the other day for 2.5 hours. There are two more MPs who are in self-isolation. The session should be deferred," O'Brien tweeted after the news of Singh going in self-isolation broke.
O'Brien quarantined himself after Singh made the announcement as he had sat beside the BJP MP during the panel meeting for over two hours hours.
Kapoor has become the first Bollywood celebrity to test positive for coronavirus in the country.
There were reports that the singer landed in Lucknow from the United Kingdom and was admitted in a city hospital after she showed signs of flu.
Hitting out at the government, O'Brien said on one side it is talking of self-isolation and on the other hand it is continuing with the Parliament session.
"The Parliament has hardly discussed coronavirus. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha discussed COVID19 for only 3% of total time. Is this how governments inspire confidence in crisis? Defer session! Stop conflicting messaging!," he said.
His party colleague Sukhendu Shekhar Roy too has announced self-isolation.
"I was present at an event yesterday and Dushyant Singh was also present at the event. As a precaution, I am going for self isolation. I will follow the necessary guidelines by the government," tweeted Anupriya Patel.
Earlier, MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan had self-quarantined after he visited a Kerala-based medical institute whose hospital later reported a coronavirus case.
Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu too quarantined himself at his residence for the next 14 days as a precautionary measure following his return from Saudi Arabia to attend a meeting on March 10.
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