BJP leader Rawat says coronavirus 'has right to live like rest of us'

Former Uttarakhand state Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Trivendra Singh Rawat has termed coronavirus as a "living organism which has a right to live", sparking troll on social media.

"Seen from a philosophical angle, coronavirus is also a living organism. It has the right to live like the rest of us. But we (humans) think ourselves to be the most intelligent and are out to eliminate it. So, it is constantly mutating itself," Rawat, who belongs to the tiny Himalayan state, told a news channel.

However, he said man needs to outpace the virus to stay safe, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Rawat's remarks triggered trolling on social media with one post on Twitter saying sarcastically: "This virus organism should be given shelter in the Central Vista (a multi-million dollar plan of the government to beautify parts of a VVIP area of Delhi).