Gujarat Assembly in the grip of swine flu

GANDHINAGAR: With both the speaker Ganpat Vasava and MoS Health Shankar Chaudhary down with swine flu, it is the flu that is playing the role of principal opposition in the state assembly here.

While the speaker was tested positive for H1N1 virus ahead of the budget session, MoS health Shankar Chaudhary was tested positive on Monday, sparking off fear among the MLAs.

As a matter of fact, the house is now being run by Nimaben Acharya while BJP MLA from Gadhada, Atmaram Parmar is being elected as the deputy speaker of the assembly to run the house in Vasava’s absence.

The dreaded virus has already infected some other big names in the state including IAS officer CV Som, Commissioner, Bureau of Public Enterprise and Vice Chancellor of Gujarat University, MN Patel.

So far the killer flu has claimed 231 lives in Gujarat with 3527 cases being registered since January 1, out of which as many as 190 cases were registered in last 24 hours with 12 deaths.

“They need to fumigate the house after Shankarbhai’s detection,” said a scared Tejashree Patel, a Congress MLA. “As it is few other MLAs were coughing in the house today and these days even innocent coughing becomes scary,” she added.