Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday dismissed rumours that he was suffering from a disease, and said that he was in perfect health. In the past few days, social media users had pointed to pictures of him looking weak and speculated that he was sick.

In a statement, Shah said that some people on social media had been spreading rumours about his health and had even wished for his death.

“The nation is now fighting the coronavirus pandemic and I did not pay attention to all of this since I was busy performing my duties as the home minister,” he said in the statement shared on Twitter. “When this [the rumours] came to my notice late at night, I thought that all these people should enjoy their imaginary thoughts and I did not give any clarification.”

“But my party workers and my well wishers have expressed a lot of concern since the last two days,” he continued. “I cannot ignore their concern. So I want to clarify today that I am perfectly healthy and I do not suffer from any disease.”

The home minister said it is believed that such speculations about someone’s health only make them stronger. He also advised people to focus on their own lives. “I request people to stop indulging in such talks and let me do my work, they should also go about their business,” he said.