Ramdas Athawale, MoS of Social Justice and Empowerment, on Tuesday sent the Rajya Sabha chuckling after he made remarks referring to his viral ‘Go Corona Go’ video from 2020. Speaking during Parliament’s monsoon session, Ramdas Athawale made a call back to the video of him chanting “Go corona, go corona”. The Minister said that he became infected with COVID-19, despite the slogans.
Ramdas Athawale’s Coronavirus remarks erupt laughter in RS
Ramdas Athawale attained viral status on the internet following a video of him chanting ‘Go corona go’ that went viral in February last year. In the viral video, Athawale along with the Chinese Consul General in Mumbai Tang Guocai and some Buddhist monks were seen chanting “Go corona, go corona” at a prayer meeting. The meeting was held at Gateway of India to stop the spread of the coronavirus in China.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Athawale referred to his personal experience of getting affected by the virus. Joining the discussion initiated by the government on COVID-19 after a devastating second wave, the Minister also recited a poem on the situation. “The pandemic has arrived, the world has become alert. Women in various villages are concerned, and even I became admitted,” the Minister said in Hindi.
The members of the House were seen laughing at Athawale’s witty poetry. The Minister continued with his poem to praise the frontline workers who worked during the pandemic. Athawale said workers including ward boys, nurses, doctors, police personnel had risked their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuing on the line, the Minister said that he too was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai for ten days.
Explaining his personal experience during the period, Athawale said “I had said go corona go, but the virus came to me.” The lines which marked the end of his time of speaking in the House made his fellow members chuckle. The slogan had garnered great attention on the internet after the video went viral. Various versions of the slogan have come out since then.
Athawale said, ‘No Corona, Corona No’
Athawale, later claimed that his slogan had garnered international attention. During December last year, Athawale came out with yet another slogan ‘No Corona, Corona No’. He had claimed that the new slogan was against the newly emerging strain of COVID in UK at the time.
IMAGE: PTI
