Sumitra Mahajan reacts to fake reports of her death, asks, ‘What was the urgency to announce?’
■ Condolences pour in after fake news of ex-Speaker’s death
Former Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan was on Friday flabbergasted when the misinformation on her death was circulated in social and other media, leading to the pouring of condolence messages mourning her “demise”.
According to Ms Mahajan’s office, a WhatsApp message ran the fake news about her death late Thursday inspiring other social media networks as well as some mainline visual media to run the story.
Later, Congress Shashi Tharoor and BJP spokesman Sambit Patra posted condolence messages mourning her death in their Twitter accounts, leaving Ms Mahajan, who was currently recuperating from fever in a private hospital in Indore, shellshocked.
Her younger son Mandar later issued a statement saying that her mother was very much in good health.
“My mother is fine. She has even tested negative for coronavirus”, a videorecorded statement by Mr Mahajan said.
According to the former speaker’s public relations officer Rajesh Agrawal, Mr Tharoor rang up Mr Mahajan this morning expressing his regret over his wrong tweet on the former LS speaker.
In another Twitter post, Mr Tharoor said, “Spoke to Sumitra Mahajanji’s son to convey my sincere apologies for last night’s misinformation. He was most gracious & understanding. Delighted to hear that she is very much better.
Express my best wishes to her and her family”.
LS Speaker Om Birla’s officer-on-special duty N.K. Gupta had contacted Ms Mahajan’s office to verify the news at around 11.30 in the night on Thursday, Mr Agrawal said.
According to Mr Agrawal, Ms Mahajan was admitted to Bombay Hospital in Indore on Wednesday when she developed a fever as a precautionary measure since three of her family members have tested been positive for coronavirus recently. She has tested negative for coronavirus. She was going to be discharged from the hospital very soon.