Punjab Transport Minister Razi Sultana on Monday trashed a Maharashtra Congress leader's reported statement that the state bus drivers who brought Sikh pilgrims from the Nanded may have infected them with coronavirus.
Maharashtra PWD Minister and a senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan had reportedly made the remarks after a large number of pilgrims were found to be infected with the infection after returning to the state.
So far, 609 of the around 4,000 stranded pilgrims who returned to Punjab from the Nanded's Sikh shrine have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the state's infection tally to over 1,000.
According to a government statement, Sultana described Chavan's statement as misleading and bereft of facts.
She said a person holding a constitutional post must not act irresponsibly and give any statement without verifying facts.
Sultana said the first batch of 31 vehicles which brought 860 pilgrims to the state had Maharashtra crew.
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She said the first three groups of pilgrims came in private buses arranged in Nanded Sahib.
The first batch of seven buses sent by the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib Trust started its journey for Punjab on the night of April 23.
Sultana said the second batch of 11 tempo travellers started the journey on April 24 late night and reached the state on April 26.
Similarly, the third batch of 13 buses started their journey from the Sikh shrine on April 25 and 26 and reached Punjab on April 27 and 28.
The transport minister said the Punjab government buses left for Nanded Sahib on April 25 and reached there April 27 morning.
These buses started their return journey on the night of April 27 and reached Bathinda on April 29 afternoon and April 30 early morning, she said.
It is a matter of fact that a few private vehicles had left Nanded Sahib even before the Punjab buses started bringing the pilgrims, Sultana said.
The passengers who travelled in these private vehicles tested positive, including one of the drivers belonging to Nanded, she said.
On Sunday, a war of words had erupted between Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia over the repatriation of Sikh pilgrims from Nanded in Maharashtra.
While Majithia had accused the state government of "mismanaging" the return of the pilgrims and sought the minister's sacking, Sidhu hit back at the Akali leadership, accusing them of misleading propaganda.