Sachin Pilot stands by decision to visit families

JAIPUR: Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot reacted on Tuesday to CM Ashok Gehlot’s statement a few days ago that he has not heard about people visiting families which lose infants

Without naming CM, Pilot said if there was such a tradition, then it needs to be broken.

“On one hand we talk about discontinuing bad traditions such as keeping veils, on the other, we hide behind traditions,” he said. “If there is no tradition of going to bereaved families, then such a tradition should be made,” Pilot said at the state Congress office.

He said it was the responsibility of the government to share pain and visit families. “There is no condolence meet for infants but it is the responsibility to wipe the tears of the parents,” he added.

Gehlot had told reporters at the party office a few days ago that condolence meetings are not held for infants. “I have not heard about people visiting families which lose infants,” he said, referring to visit of Pilot to some of the Kota families during his visit to JK Lon Hospital after more than 100 kids died there.

The CM and deputy CM have been reacting to each other’s statements on Kota deaths without naming each other. This, experts said, was unfortunate.

“The political leaders are using such incidents to settle personal score rather than focusing on the real issue of health. They are deliberately trying to divert attention from the issue and playing a game to prove each other wrong,” said political analyst Narayan Bareth.

He said that no one is debating that the government is spending a mere 1% of GDP on health. “Why don’t the BJP and the Congress debate on why health sector is being privatised despite ours being a welfare state?” he asked.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said: “The people of the state are divided among two power centres, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, for their show of strength, which is unfortunate for the state. The tussle among the two would prove adverse for the state.”