At a time when the whole world is working to find a solution to Covid pandemic, some of our political leaders continue to spread misinformation and make irresponsible claims about the deadly infection. Jumping into the fray, BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur has stoked a fresh controversy with her bizarre claim about Covid prevention. The Bhopal lawmaker has claimed that the urine from an indigenous cow can protect lung infection due to corona.
“I am in a lot of pain but I consume cow urine extract every day. Thus, I do not have to take any medicines for COVID-19. I am not COVID-19 infected and by God’s grace, I will not be because I am using this (cow urine) medicine. But I consume it after offering prayers which (cow urine) is like Amrit for me. I am partaking you, please save my life as my life is for the nation. Cow urine is life-saving for us,” Thakur said at a programme on Sunday. She added that cow urine was life-saving and urged people to rear desi gai (indigenous cow) for the purpose.
A video of Thakur’s statement has gone viral on social media with netizens taking a dig at her for making ‘absurd and unscientific claims’. The BJP MP is no stranger to controversies. In 2019, she had claimed that a mix of cow urine and other cow products had cured her cancer.
This comes even as doctors have repeatedly warned against unproven alternative cures offered for Covid. The Indian Medical Association has categorically stated that there is no scientific evidence indicating cow dung or urine is helpful in treatment of Covid-19 infection. Notably, she is not the first BJP leader to have found a cure for the deadly infection.
In February, Union Health minister landed in a soup after he reportedly endorsed Patanjali’s Coronil which was relaunched as treatment of COVID-19, a claim questioned by the World Health Organisation. The union minister drew flak from Indian Medical Association, for promoting the herbal concoction.
“As per the code of the Medical Council of India, which binds the code of conduct of every modern medical doctor, no doctor can promote any drug. However, it is surprising that the health minister, who himself is a modern medicine doctor, was found promoting the drug,” the association had said.
Just a few day back, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also became a butt of jokes with his virus has a : right to live” remarks. “If we talk from a philosophical angle, coronavirus is also a living organism like us. We (human being) consider ourselves most intelligent, but that organism also wants to live. And it also deserves to live,” Rawat had said. His remarks triggered stinging barbs from Opposition leaders who had described his statement as not just “insensitive”, but also “foolish”.
BJP MLA from UP’s Ballia, Surendra Singh also claimed that consuming cow urine could cure various ailments including corona. On May 09, the BJP leader put up a video of himself drinking cow urine. Singh demonstrated how exactly the cow urine should be taken. While appealing to people to consume cow urine, he himself gulped it down. “I drink this every day in the morning and despite working for 18 hours a day for the people, I am healthy. I want to appeal to the people to include this in their everyday routine,” Rawat had claimed in the video.
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In late July, a video of Arjun Ram Meghwal, a junior Union minister for heavy industries and parliamentary affairs and BJP’s member of parliament from Bikaner, had gone viral on social media for claiming a brand of papad had a cure for coronavirus. In the viral video, he claimed that ‘Bhabhiji Papad’ contained ingredients that helped develop antibodies against the virus. Two weeks after making this ludicrous claim, the minister has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
In March last year, Assam BJP MLA Suman Haripriya, made a similar claim. “We all know that cow dung is very helpful. Likewise, when cow urine is sprayed, it purifies an area… I believe something similar could be done with ‘gaumutra’ and ‘gobar’ to cure Coronavirus (disease),” she was quoted as saying by PTI.
A BJP MLA in Gujarat, who served as the state’s science and technology minister, believes that people who are engaged in hard labour do not get COVID-19 – and that’s why BJP workers are safe.
“Those who work, do labour work, remain unaffected by the corona(virus). Workers of the BJP have done work, have done labour work and none of them has been infected,” Govind Patel said in late March.
