Govt hiding the truth, says ex-CM Akhilesh
ATTACK Demands ₹50 lakh as compensation for next of kin
Expressing shock and grief over the Baba Raghav Das Medical College tragedy, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said his party had sent a probe team to Gorakhpur as the BJP government was concealing the truth.
“The government is squarely responsible for the death of all the children,” Yadav said at a press conference here on Saturday.
He charged the administration with “manipulating and removing admission records of the patients who died”.
“Now, the truth will never come out. The government must take full responsibility for the tragedy,” he added.
“Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was in Gorakhpur and held a review meeting at the BRD Medical College. Didn’t the issue of oxygen supply and non-payment to the suppliers crop up at the review meeting?” the former chief minister asked.
Yadav claimed that 50 patients, including 32 children, died in 32 hours. He demanded that the government pay ₹50 lakh compensation to the next of kin of each of the patients who lost their lives.
The SP chief has sent a delegation led by Vidhan Sabha leader of opposition Ramgobind Chaudhary, Balram Yadav, and Santosh Yadav ‘Sunny’ to the college.
He also hit out at the BJP government that charged the SP and Opposition with “doing politics over death”. “As the Opposition, isn’t it our job to ask the government questions?” he asked.
Echoing the sentiment, the Congress held the UP government “responsible” for the deaths and demanded the resignation of Adityanath and health minister Siddharth Nath Singh.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who visited the medical college with colleagues on Saturday, expressed deep anguish over the deaths.
Azad said, “This incident took place due to the laxity on the part of the state government. We hold the state government responsible for it. The health minister and the health secretary must immediately tender resignation. The doctors should not be blamed for this.”
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday said stringent action will be taken against those found guilty in the high number of death of infants in Gorakhpur’s state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College.
Gorakhpur district magistrate Rajeev Rautela on Friday said at least 30 children had died in the medical college within 48 hours.
State health minister Siddharth Nath Singh had said according to reports from the paediatric department of the college, 60 children had died due to various diseases since August 7.
“Whosoever is found guilty in the tragic and painful incident at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur will certainly face stringent action,” deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters.
According to the official Twitter account of the UP chief minister (@CMOfficeUP), Yogi Adityanath has directed that a detailed probe be conducted into the incident and strict action be ensured.
Meanwhile, Singh and medical education minister Ashutosh Tandon left for Gorakhpur on Saturday to take stock of the situation at the medical college. 9,855 2015 2016 2017