Krish Ansari at RIMS on Saturday.
A political row erupted in Jharkhand on Sunday after a video of Health Minister and Congress leader Irfan Ansari's son's visit to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for a purported inspection surfaced on social media.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a swipe at Mr Ansari's son, Krish Ansari, over a "reel" of the alleged inspection on Saturday, even as the minister said the 19-year-old was helping an ailing woman get admitted.
A 19-second video of Mr Krish shows him entering a ward hospital and asking the patients if they are facing any sort of discomfort. His aides are also seen asking the same. The circulated clip is played against the backdrop of a Punjabi song.
Mr Krish, sources said, is an engineering student in Uttarakhand and is currently home on vacation.
Hitting out at the Health Minister, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Ajay Sah said on X: "The son of Jharkhand's Reel Minister has also started inspecting government hospitals and making reels."
Mr Iran, however, said his son was not visiting the hospital for an inspection but to help his teacher's mother get admitted.
"He has come on a vacation. His teacher's mother was unwell. He took her to the hospital and got her treated there. He also brought her medicine. This is a good deed that he has done. If my son has gone to the hospital, then it's alright, this is a humane act. He did not go and shout at the management, nor did he go and take their seat. You should appreciate his act," he told reporters.
He said his "son did not crush a farmer during a protest", in an apparent reference to the 2012 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which a vehicle allegedly driven by former Union Minister and BJP leader Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish ran over farmers protesting the now-repealed agricultural laws.
"I want to ask the BJP... my son never ran over a farmer.... my son never urinated on an Adivasi, do remember this. He tried to help the poor," he said.
"I called my son and asked him why he visited the hospital and unnecessarily triggered a row with the BJP. He said he had to help his teacher's mother," he added.
In a post in Hindi on X, Mr Irfan urged the BJP to "move forward with positive thinking". "If you have a fight with us, fight with us. Do not involve family or children. I have given my children good values. Whether it is my son or my worker. They will help humanity. They will ensure people's treatment and save their lives," he said in Hindi.
