'Being a minister, I am exempted': No quarantine for BJP MP Sadananda Gowda

New Delhi, May 25: Union minister and BJP MP Sadananda Gowda, who landed in Bengaluru on Monday, skipped institutional quarantine and went off in his private car.

Speaking to reporters, Gowda said while the guidelines on quarantine are applicable to all citizens, there are certain exemptions for some people.

"Being a minister, I am exempted by the state government and the central government so I do not see the issue," he said, adding that he also has the government's contract-tracing app Aarogya Setu on his phone.

Gowda said that as he heads the Centre's pharmaceutical department, it was his responsibility to make sure there is no shortage of medicine. "If I do not supply medicines, then the cases will double," the minister said.

"To see the movement of medicines throughout the country is my responsibility. If doctors are quarantined, if people who supply medicines are quarantined, how will we beat coronavirus," he said.

The Karnataka government has mandated seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine for all domestic air passengers as flight operations resumed on Monday after a gap of two months.