Bangalore: The Karnataka BJP has taken aim at state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao after a video of him swimming in a pool went viral. The party criticized the Congress minister, highlighting the rising cases of dengue and malaria in the state.

"Even though the cities are full of puddles and filth and diseases like dengue and malaria are rising, the pro-poor Congress government is floating in a clean swimming pool," the BJP posted on its official handle on X. The party shared the video with the caption "‘Nero Rao’ of Health Department in Water," alluding to the story of Roman emperor Nero, who allegedly played music while Rome burned. In response, Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao defended himself, stating that swimming and exercise are part of his routine fitness regimen. He suggested that BJP leaders should also consider such activities for their health benefits.

“It not only keeps you healthy but also keeps your mind sharp, which might help you to focus more rather than resorting to peddling lies and creating diversionary tactics,” the minister said. Rao emphasized his concern about the increasing dengue cases in the state and mentioned that his first action upon arriving in Mangalore was to review the dengue situation. The video was taken at the Mangalore International Swimming Pool.

“A campaign to destroy breeding sites of Aedes mosquitoes has been launched. We went from house to house and checked places of water accumulation and created awareness among the people,” he noted. Karnataka has seen a recent uptick in dengue cases, with over 7,006 cases reported in the past six months alone, and six deaths attributed to the disease.

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