Former Union Minister and veteran Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh tested positive for COVID-19 in Patna on Wednesday, a close aide said.
Singh, who had been suffering from fever and cough for quite some time, was admitted to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna on Tuesday following the advice of doctors and his samples were also sent for COVID-19 testing. The sample report came on Wednesday out and he has tested positive, the close aide of the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader said.
Superintendent of AIIMS, Patna, did not comment on the COVID-19 status of the 75-year-old RJD leader, but said, “He is getting proper treatment and his condition is stable”.
Although Bihar had reported its first couple of cases nearly three months ago and its COVID-19 tally now is close to 7,000, this is the first instance of a well-known public figure testing positive for the dreaded virus in the state.
The RJD national vice president, who had served in the cabinet headed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has no recent travel history outside the state. He has been, however, visiting places across Bihar ever since the “Unlockdown” began this month and meeting lots of people in connection with the Assembly polls due later this year.
A staunch supporter of Lalu Prasad who, nonetheless, is never shy of speaking his mind, Singh is one of the founding members of the RJD. A five-term MP from Vaishali, the veteran leader lost the seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and failed to wrest it back five years later.