Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief whip in Rajya Sabha Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday dubbed the Opposition parties "Omicron in Parliament" while criticising them for disrupting proceedings of the Upper House.
Shukla's remarks during a short discussion in the Rajya Sabha over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 pandemic created a new controversy with Opposition parties' sharp attack on the government, and request from the Chair to expunge the word.
Participating in the debate amid the ruckus created by the Opposition parties seeking revocation of suspension of 12 MPs, Shukla said: "Parent is in danger due to these Omicrons..."
Saying that despite giving a resolution to hold a short discussion on the increasing threat of Omicron variant, Shukla, the Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh who replaced Narayan Panchariya from the chief whip post after his retirement from the Upper House, said the Opposition parties are not interested in carrying out the discussion over such an important issue that affects the health of people.
The attack was criticized by RJD MP Manoj Jha in his turn to speak during the short discussion, saying "The treasury benches are trying to teach lesson to the Opposition but BJP leader Shiv Pratap Shukla dubbed us Omicron. Is it fine?"
Other Opposition members supported Manoj Jha for his stand and requested BJP MP Bhubaneswar Kalitha, in the Chair then to expunge the word used by Shukla against Opposition.
Shukla had also informed the House how the World Health Organisation's Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) was convened on November 26, 2021 to assess the SARS-CoV-2 variant: B.1.1.529.
TAG-VE is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus.
The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on November 24, 2021, said Shukla, adding the epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the latest of which was predominantly the Delta variant.
The BJP leader also mentioned how the Omicron variant infections have increased steeply in India.
( With inputs from ANI )
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