‘Papad as COVID-19 vaccine’: Congress roasts Union Minister Arjun Meghwal

Twitterati on Friday were both shocked and helping themselves to a laugh at the expense of Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Meghwal is Union minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs and Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.

On Friday, a video of Meghwal went viral. In the video, Meghwal was seen endorsing the 'Bhabhi Ji Papad’ brand. The video was, reportedly, recorded on Wednesday.

Meghwal claims the ingredients of Bhabhi Ji Papad helps in formation of antibodies needed to fight COVID-19. "Under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, a papad manufacturer has come up with this product that will aid the formation of antibodies to fight the coronavirus. This papad will prove useful in the fight against coronavirus," Meghwal said.

Interestingly, the company manufacturing the papad is based in Bikaner, Meghwal's constituency. The manufacturer reportedly claimed Bhabhi Ji Papad had immunity-boosting ingredients like Gilloy.

In recent days, Meghwal has been enthusiastic in promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Vocal for Local' theme to boost indigenous manufacturing. On Friday, Meghwal noted, "Bikaner is famous for its papad, bhujia and rasgulla".

But Meghwal’s enthusiasm for papad was not shared by the Congress. The West Bengal unit of the Youth Congress poked fun at Meghwal's promotion of the papad, comparing it to a "corona vaccine".

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram tweeted that he hoped the Bhabhi Ji Papad is served in the "Parliament canteen".

Congress leader Nagma Morarji used Meghwal's video to take a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim in 2018 that selling pakodas was also a form of employment.

Nagma tweeted, "After Pakoras it’s Papad this time to fight #CoronaUpdatesInIndia says Mantri of #bjp Arjun Meghwaal Ji sab papad khao ab ! Corona nahi hoga Bharat sarkaar ke mantri keh rahe hai anti bodies ko papad fight karega"

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill made a sarcastic tweet, claiming the "papad vaccine is lethal for medical science". Shergill tweeted, “BJP Minister launches ‘pappad’ to counter #Covid_19 as it will develop antibodies BJP Bengal Chief says drink ‘cow urine’ to combat Corona BJP TTDP-Tali,Thali,Diya&Pappad vaccine is lethal for Medical Science-Feel sorry for Einstein & Newton who had hopes from Oxford trials.”