Uma Bharti Says Will Stay Away From Ram Mandir's Bhoomi Pujan As COVID-19 Precaution

India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 18-lakh mark on Sunday, just a day after it went past 17 lakh, with 52,972 cases being reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total coronavirus cases surged to 18,03,696, while the death toll due to the COVID-19 climbed to 38,135 with 771 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed. The recoveries have mounted to 1,186,203, while there are 5,79,357 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country presently.

Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti will not be attending Ram Mandir's Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya which is scheduled on August 5 as a COVID-19 precaution, she said on Monday morning.

During the Bhoomi Pujan, Uma Bharti said that she would be on the banks of the river Saryu and would visit the site of the temple only after everyone has left.

In a series of tweets, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said that she was worried for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will lay the foundation stone of the Ram Mandir, after Home Minister Amit Shah and other top leaders have tested positive for COVID-19.

Uma Bharti said "When I heard about Amit Shah and other BJP leaders testing positive I was worried about those attending the Ayodhya event, especially PM Modi"

Uma Bharti in her second tweet said "I will leave Bhopal this evening and until I reach Ayodhya tomorrow evening, I may be exposed to the infection. In this situation, I will stay away from the place where PM Modi and others will be present. I will reach there only after everyone has left the spot"

The senior BJP leader added that she has informed Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas' senior officials and also the Prime Minister's office to exclude her name from the guest list.

Meanwhile, several dignitaries including Union Ministers and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are expected to attend the ceremony. According to the trust, the guest list has been trimmed to around 50 VIPs because of restrictions on travel and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.