The coronavirus outbreak has gripped the country's most populous state ahead of the foundation laying ceremony of the proposed Ram Temple on August 5.
Adding to the Yogi government woes is the death of Cabinet minister for technical education Kamal Rani Varun (62) on Sunday, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus at a Lucknow hospital since July 16.
To make matters worse, state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh tested positive soon after the minister’s death. Health minister Jayraj Singh and his family are already recuperating at the hospital.
The State’s Covid-19 tally has crossed 92,900 and capital Lucknow is posing a major challenge to the administration. Lucknow is logging around 400 cases daily for the past few days.
On Sunday, 346 news cases surfaced in Lucknow, taking the total tally to 8,686. Most guests would be landing in Lucknow and then proceed to Ayodhya by road.
The temple town itself is struggling with the virus which has already infected one of the main priests and several security personnel deployed on the Ram Janmabhoomi campus. Over 86 new cases have surfaced in Ayodhya, taking the total count to 1,334.
While several opposition leaders have questioned the timing of the Ayodhya event, neither the Yogi government, nor the Modi dispensation, have indicated any change in plans.
Both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have harped on the deteriorating pandemic situation in UP.
“Patients are not getting corona reports even after a week of giving the samples and those who are corona positive are not getting beds in hospitals. Corona is at its peak in Lucknow and across the state, but the Yogi Government and his officers are misleading the people by making wrong statements,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on twitter.
