Maharashtra Cong chief links lumpy virus spread to arrival of cheetahs from ‘Nigeria’; draws ire of BJP leaders
Bhopal, October 4
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra on Tuesday said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole needs a “head massage” for linking the spread of lumpy virus disease among cattle to bringing of cheetahs from Namibia and released in the Kuno National Park last month.
Patole, while targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, said cheetahs were brought from “Nigeria” from where the lumpy skin disease was spreading.
“Nana Patoleji requires ‘champi’ (massage) of his head,” said Mishra, who is also the spokesman of the MP government.
“How can he compare it (the spread of lumpy skin disease) with cheetahs? He is talking absurdly. He needs to expand his knowledge a little. He should understand that with the arrival of cheetahs, India’s pride has also returned. The entire country appreciated it, but he is unable to understand. In fact, who will make him understand as his ‘champi’ was not done,” Mishra told reporters.
Talking to reporters in Bhandara in Maharashtra, Patole had alleged that, for the first time, to destroy farmers, diseases like the lumpy virus were being brought to India.
“Lumpy virus disease is spreading from Nigeria. We brought cheetahs from Nigeria. There was an event on this on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday (September 17),” he said.
“But by making this (bringing cheetahs to India) an event and bringing foreign disease to the country…never before cows and oxen have died due to such disease. For the first time, to destroy the farmers, such diseases are being brought to India,” Patole alleged.
Reacting to the comments, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted “cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia, and not Nigeria” and tagged Patole.
Cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia, and not Nigeria @NANA_PATOLE Ji 🙏 https://t.co/Jvv66s0MBG
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) October 3, 2022
The lumpy virus disease has caused thousands of cattle deaths across the country, including in Maharashtra.
PM Modi on September 17 released eight cheetahs in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh under the ambitious cheetah relocation project.
