India reports 75 coronavirus cases: Health ministry
New Delhi: The number of coronavirus patients in the country is 75, including the death of a 76-year-old man in Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
The man from Kalaburagi had recently returned from Saudi Arabia. "His sample has been confirmed for #COVID19", Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said on Thursday.
Delhi has reported six positive cases and Uttar Pradesh 10 so far. Karnataka has five coronavirus patients, Maharashtra 11 and Ladakh three.
Besides, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported one case each. Kerala has recorded 17 cases, including three patients who were discharged last month after they recovered from the contagious infection with flu-like symptoms.
The total number of 75 confirmed cases includes 17 foreigners -- 16 Italian tourists and a Canadian, the ministry officials said.
Amid rising coronavirus cases in India, the government on Thursday asked people not to panic, saying no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there has only been a few cases of local transmission so far.
Asserting that the safety and welfare of its citizens abroad have always been a priority for India, the government said three flights will be sent to Iran to bring back Indians from Iran.
With the novel coronavirus being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, Health Ministry officials said around 1,500 people who came in contact with the 75 infected people were under rigorous observation while over 30,000 people across the country under community surveillance.
"India presently has around 1 lakh testing kits. More testing kits have been ordered and they are in procurement," the official said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
