Madhya Pardesh Minister Says Coronavirus Will Not Come Near Her because She was Born in Cow Dung

The word has changed a lot since January 2020 when first tremors of the coronavirus infection were felt. The viral infection has since blown out into a pandemic, race for vaccine has intensified with major breakthroughs attained, economies have slumped, cases are spiking with a second wave. There has been a rollercoaster of hope and despair over the last six months now.

However, what has remained constant in all this is the bizarre statements from politicians. From the President of Ameirca Donald Trump suggesting to inject disinfectants to Indian politicians recommending paapads as immunity booster to fight the infection, the list is long. The latest on the list is Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi who believes that she is immune to the infection owing to the fact that she is born in gobar (cow dung) and mitti (mud).

“I am born in mud and cow dung. Corona cannot come to me,” Imarti Devi, Minister of Women and Force Development of the state, said angrily while talking to the media amid rumours that she had tested positive for the virus infection. Pointing towards her mask, which was hanging by her chin, the minister even said that she was wearing it forcefully.

Earlier, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, and Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal, MP for the Bharatiya Janata Party, endorsed a ‘papad’ that would fight the novel coronavirus. Meghwal, the BJP MP, said a papad brand named “Bhabhiji Papad” may help produce the antibodies required to counter coronavirus.

However, few weeks later, the minister had tested positive for the virus.

In August, BJP MP from Rajasthan Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria said that mud pack and blowing a conch shell can help fight the coronavirus infection. Jaunapuria, lawmaker from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency, said that sitting in mud and blowing conch shell boosts immunity and helps the body to fight Covid-19 infection.