National Conference president Farooq Abdullah is unlikely to attend the ongoing session of Parliament because of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to his family.
“Dr. Abdullah has many health issues, which make him very vulnerable to coronavirus. He is staying away from Parliament for two reasons: he is recovering from a cataract surgery and the fear of coronavirus,” a family member told The Hindu.
Released on March 13 after over seven months of detention following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August last year, the five-time Chief Minister maintained silence on the political issues and chose to spend time with his family and visiting his incarcerated son Omar Abdullah as per the jail manual.
He released ₹1 crore from funds allocated to him under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme to combat the threat of COVID-19. “I hope the amount I have released from my MPLAD fund will give the required flip to the efforts of the agencies concerned to deal with the situation in an effective way. The party is alive to the situation, and we will walk the extra mile to lend a hand...in curbing the spread,” he said.
Dr. Abdullah has also asked two MPs of his party, Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, to release funds for their constituencies.
