While most of the states are abiding by the nation-wide lockdown, a public gathering of 200 people in Maharashtra decided to celebrate BJP MLA Dadarao Keche’s birthday.
Breaking the protocols of social distancing, these people gathered at the MLA’s residence in Wardha, on Sunday. Keche tried to explain the situation to Indian Express and claimed that his political adversaries were taking advantage of the situation:
I had invited only 21 labourers, who have lost their livelihood due to coronavirus, and distributed food grains to them. After that I left to visit my guru Bhikaram Baba at Ashta around 11 am.
He further denied everything and blamed the opposition for tarnishing his image:
I understand that we all must strictly adhere to social distancing norm to fight the coronavirus as desired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. My opponents have seized this opportunity to tarnish my image.
Although Keche denied that he had invited people to celebrate his birthday, the local sub-divisional officer issued a notice under various provisions against the MLA for violating rules in the wake of a pandemic.
As we’re writing this, Maharastra has the maximum number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country with around 781 suffering from the virus. We urge people to maintain social distancing during these difficult times.