NEW DELHI, Aug 2 - Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit have tested positive for coronavirus, while Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Verma succumbed to the infection on Sunday. Taking to Twitter, 55-year-old Shah said he had undergone a coronavirus test after showing initial symptoms. �My health is fine but I am getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors,� he tweeted in Hindi and requested those who had come in contact with him in the last few days to get tested for coronavirus and isolate themselves.
Political leaders, including BJP president JP Nadda, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, DMK chief MK Stalin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, wished Shah a speedy recovery.
In Uttar Pradesh, Kamal Rani Varun, the only woman Cabinet minister in the State, died of COVID-19 at a hospital in Lucknow on Sunday. She was 62. The Technical Education minister, who tested positive for COVID-19 on July 18, breathed her last at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences. She had comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension and hyperthyroidism, a doctor said.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other leaders expressed grief over her demise.
The chief of Uttar Pradesh�s BJP unit, Swatantra Dev Singh, too tested positive for COVID-19 and has quarantined himself at his home following doctors� advice.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit tested positive for COVID-19, and has been advised home isolation since his infection was mild, according to a bulletin issued by the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai.
Purohit, 80, was in self-isolation since July 29 after three people in the Raj Bhavan tested positive. The bulletin said the Governor underwent further tests on Sunday. He has been advised home isolation and a medical team would monitor him. � PTI
Our Staff Reporter adds: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday wished speedy recovery of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 infection at a hospital in New Delhi. In a statement, Sonowal expressed confidence that Shah would soon defeat the virus to serve the nation with renewed vigour and energy.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also expressed hope that Shah would soon come out of it with his strong will power.
