At least 25 Parliamentarians were tested positive for Covid-19 on the first day of the monsoon session on Monday, Parliament officials said.
Lok Sabha members of the BJP Meenakshi Lekhi, Parvesh Sahib Singh, Sukanata Majumdar were among the 17 from the lower house who tested positive in the RT-PCR tests that are mandatory for attending the monsoon session.
As many as 359 Lok Sabha members, of the present strength of 541, attended the parliament session wearing masks and taking precautions to protect themselves from the infectious disease.
In the Rajya Sabha, eight members tested positive for Covid-19.
Some members such as Lekhi and Verma took to Twitter to reveal their Covid-19 positive results.
The Covid-19 tests added to the intrigue in the case of RLP member Hanuman Beniwal, who had submitted his DNA samples at the testing centre in Parliament on September 11. However, his samples turned out to be negative when he got himself tested again in Jaipur.
“I got myself tested in the Lok Sabha premises for Covid-19 which came out positive. After that I got my test done at SMS hospital in Jaipur, which showed the result as negative. I am sharing both these reports with you. Which report should be considered accurate,” Beniwal wrote on Twitter.
Of the 785 members in both the Houses, 200 are above the age of 65, which makes them vulnerable for infection.
Despite all odds, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, 80, was seen in the Lok Sabha, Saugata Roy (73) of Trinamool, and so was JMM founder Shibu Soren, 76, who took oath as Rajya Sabha member.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha met in separate four-hour shifts that allowed members to spread across chambers of both the houses to ensure physical distancing.
Around 200 members were seated in the Lok Sabha chamber, few members in the visitors’ gallery overlooking the main chamber, while the Rajya Sabha was sparsely filled.
Members were allowed to address the chair while remaining seated and polycarbonate sheets were placed in front of their tables to ensure safety.