BJP leader who threatened Mamata with COVID hug tests positive

Kolkata, Oct 02: BJP leader Anupam Hazra, who had threatened to hug West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if he got infected with COVID-19, has tested positive for the disease, health officials said.

Hazra, who has recently been appointed as a national secretary of the saffron party, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata, they said.

He had complained of uneasiness and his samples were tested for coronavirus, the report of which returned as positive, the officials said.

After his controversial statement, the Trinamool Congress had lodged a police complaint against Hazra for maligning a public figure, who is a woman, thus violating the Constitution.

"Our workers are fighting a bigger enemy than corona. They are fighting Mamata Banerjee. When they (BJP cadres) have been able to fight it out against Mamata Banerjee without a mask, they think they can also fight against COVID-19 without wearing a mask," Hazra said.

"I have decided that if I get infected by the coronavirus, then I will go and hug Mamata Banerjee," he added.

Hazra, a former TMC MP who joined the BJP last year, said the way the bodies of COVID-19 patients were being cremated in the state was pathetic.