GORAKHPUR (UP), Aug 19: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today took a jibe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his visit here, saying the ‘yuvraj’ (prince) sitting in Delhi cannot make Gorakhpur ‘a picnic spot’.
Gandhi hit back at Adityanath after visiting the family members of the victims, describing the deaths of children at a state-run BRD hospital here as “Government made tragedy”. He said the chief minister should not try to cover up the matter.
The Congress also returned the fire, saying the eastern UP town was not a “picnic spot” but “a spot of virtual murder”.
The chief minister targeted Gandhi while launching a cleanliness campaign in the district to tackle the deadly encephalitis outbreak in the wake of death of 71 children at the BRD hospital here.
“I feel that the shehzada sitting in Lucknow ..Yuvraj sitting in Delhi will not know the importance of this cleanliness campaign. They will come here to make it a picnic spot, we cannot permit it,” the chief minister said taking a dig at Gandhi, hours before the Congress leader’s visit to Gorakhpur to meet the families of the victims.
“If someone gives an open challenge to the self-respect of the people of Gorakhpur and eastern UP …They will themselves come forward to fight such dreaded diseases through their awareness,” Adityanath stressed, launching the ‘Swachch Uttar Pradesh – Swasthya Uttar Pradesh campaign’ here.
After meeting family members of victims, Gandhi said Government should take action and not try to cover up the matter as “it is absolutely clear that oxygen shortage and laxity were the reasons for the tragedy.”
“All those whom I met told me that oxygen shortage led to the death of their children. Many families were given ambu bags (a manual resuscitator) and they pumped it for hours…It is very clear that it government-made tragedy,” he told reporters.
“The chief minister should not try to cover up (the matter) and action should be taken against the guilty. This is my message,” he said.
“I have come to this hospital earlier too and told Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the media that this hospital needs money as there are too many shortages, but no action was taken,” he rued.
“Modiji speaks of new India (but) this kind of new India we do not want, we want hospitals where poor people take their children (for treatment) and come back happily,” he said.
He also complimented the media for raising the issue.
“…I want to thank them for this (highlighting the issue)…It is not a matter concerning Uttar Pradesh but is a national tragedy, it is indicative of health care of the country, we cannot work in this manner,” he said.
Hitting back at the chief minister for his barb, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the chief minister was the Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur where the tragedy took place, and accused him of reducing the debate over medical negligence to such “cheap politicking”.
“He has insulted the sacred memory of those helpless and poor children who died, by reducing the debate to such cheap politicking as a picnic spot,” he told reporters in Delhi.
Gorakhpur was not a picnic spot, instead it “has been turned into a murderous spot by utter negligence, lack of accountability and total callousness,” Singhvi alleged.
“It is a spot of virtual murder. The chief minister’s statement is objectionable and insulting,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee(UPCC) president Raj Babbar said the chief minister’s remark only reflects the pettiness and panic that Rahul Gandhi’s visit will ensure justice to the victims.
“The chief minister took no action and he wants to divert the issue…He is belittling the position that he holds by such petty statements…Rahulji has come here to share the the pain of the poor…But asking why he has come only indicated the pettiness of the chief minister and panic that his visit will ensure justice,” he said.
Babbar along with other senior leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and RPN singh accompanied Gandhi. The Congress vice-president visited the villages to meet families of the children who lost their lives and assured full support besides taking up the matter with officials concerned to check the recurrence of the deadly disease.
The Congress has targeted the Aditynath Government over the deaths following allegations that the children who were critically ill succumbed due to oxygen shortage.
Expressing the hope that the cleaniness campaign will be successful in checking encephalitis, Adityanath also accused the previous Governments of depriving the people of the state of basic facilities for their vested interests.
Meanwhile, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the chief minister over his cleanliness drive.
“Khokle vaade aur halki bayanbazi se kab tak Janata Ko bahlayega, aise banega swachch UP- swastha- UP” (how long will you befool the people through hollow promises and petty statements , will this make the state clean and healthy), he tweeted. (PTI)
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