Probe on, will disclose the findings: Amit Shah
BJP National President Amit Shah speaks at a press conference during his three day visit to Bengaluru on Monday. (Source: PTI/Shailendra Bhojak) BJP National President Amit Shah speaks at a press conference during his three day visit to Bengaluru on Monday. (Source: PTI/Shailendra Bhojak)
BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday dismissed the Congress’s demand for the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the deaths of children at a government hospital in Gorakhpur saying such tragedies have occurred during Congress rule too. “It is the job of the Congress to seek resignations. In this big country there have been many tragedies and this is not the first time. Tragedies have occurred under Congress rule too,” Shah said in a reaction to demands by the Congress for the resignation of Adityanath.
“Unlike the Congress party, we do not blame anyone without an investigation. An investigation is on. Yogiji has ordered a time-bound investigation. We will disclose the findings of the investigation in public. Action will be taken at whatever level based on the investigations,” Shah said.
The BJP president said the UP Chief Minister had not issued directives to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami despite the deaths of children at Gorakhpur. “There is grief everywhere over the deaths of children at Gorakhpur. But Krishna Janmashtami has its place and August 15 has its place. Yogiji has not said that despite the death of the kids Krishna Janmashtami must be celebrated. Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on the basis of personal beliefs in the homes of people. It is not being celebrated as a government festival,’’ Shah said.
To a query on why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not put out any message of condolence on the social media platform Twitter as he has done for many incidents in the past, Shah said the Prime Minister had expressed grief in a media statement. “The Prime Minister has expressed grief over the incident. He may not have tweeted,” Shah said.
In New Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that cases of murder be lodged against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh and other officials for the deaths of over 60 children at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College and Hospital. The party produced two letters, allegedly written to the CM in April by the firm that supplied oxygen to the hospital, informing him of the due amount.
“It was a criminal act. There is not an iota of doubt that the children died to the government’s criminal negligence. Cases of murder should be registered against the chief minister, health minister and other top officials involved,” said spokesperson Sanjay Singh. “The UP government talks about temples, ambulances for cows. The prime minister has all the time to tweet about happenings around the world, but he has no time to spare a word on the Gorakhpur tragedy,” he added. Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, while visiting families of three children who had died at BRD Medical College and Hospital, demanded an “impartial inquiry”, saying that the probe initiated by BJP “cannot be trusted”.
He also reiterated his demand for a Rs 20-lakh compensation to each of the deceased children’s families, and strict action against the guilty. According to a party statement, Akhilesh said “there should be no politics over the deaths of innocent children”, but responsibility and accountability of the incident must be fixed.
The statement said Akhilesh visited Brahmadev Yadav, Santosh Gond and Kishun Gupta, whose children had allegedly died at the hospital. He also said the state government had adopted an “insensitive approach” and its ministers are “changing their statements” . In Lucknow, Congress workers led by state party president Raj Babbar held a protest near the Gandhi statue in Hazratganj, seeking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s resignation.
Babbar said when Adityanath had claimed that the deaths did not occur due to shortage of oxygen, why is he getting an inquiry done, and why was the oxygen vendor raided at night. Babbar further said that the chief minister’s statement that the deaths had occurred due to encephalitis even before the inquiry’s report comes showed that he is “influencing” the probe.
He also asked why the medical college’s principal Dr Rajiv Mishra was suspended and the head of the encephalitis ward Dr Kafeel Khan removed when “17 letters for payment of dues” were sent by the oxygen supplier “with their copies marked for information to the principal secretary, health, health minister and chief secretary”. Babbar said Adityanath should disclose how many times he had met the Union Health Minister, officers concerned, Union Minister of State, health secretary or DG, Health, during the UPA government’s rule between 2004 and 2014 when he was Gorakhpur MP.
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