Udupi: Bloopers from politicians are nothing new. Some have been hitting headlines at the national level for their ignorance and a similar statement has left Udupi MLA red faced.

MLA Raghupathy Bhat has said that consumption of Jackfruit may even prevent AIDS. These remarks of his at the two-day Jackfruit Mela at Doddanagudde here on Saturday, June 23, has made the MLA a target for trolls online.

“There are rumours that the consumption of jackfruits can prevent AIDS. These may be rumours but they have contributed to the popularity of the jackfruit,” the MLA has said.

While the MLA did say that these rumours could not be confirmed, he claimed that he heard some people talk about this particular benefit of the fruit. Anyway, the damage was done and the MLA became a butt of the joke.

The mela was organized by the District administration, Zilla Panchayat and Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Gramabhivraddi Yojane Udupi, where Raghupathy Bhat spoke about the benefits of the consumption and cultivation of jackfruits. He also said that it was easy to do and that farmers should get support from the government to cultivate jackfruits.however, the AIDS connection was the highlight.

It may be recalled that former minister and BJP leader Krishna J Palemar too had ‘oops’ moment after stating in an event that mobile phones are a major cause of AIDS. While eyebrows were raised, Palemar had explained that with mobile in hand, youth can get in touch and socialise with opposite gender easily and hence his opinion!!