E-Paper
Rahul’s tweet raises heat in poll-bound Bihar
PATNA
PATNA
A tweet by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, claiming the Covid-19 pandemic had spiralled out of control in Bihar and taunting the NDA government in the poll-bound state on its “good governance” claims, set off a war of words, with the ruling JD(U) and BJP attacking the former Congress president and asking him to set his “own house in order”.
Assembly polls in Bihar are due later this year.
“The coronavirus pandemic situation in Bihar is critical and has spiralled out of control of the state government. Unattended bodies lying in hospital wards expose the claims of good governance ofBihar,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi while tagging a Hindustan Times report that undelined how a central team had flagged gaps in Bihar’s infection control policy during its two-day visit to the state that ended Monday.
A member of the three-membet team led by Luv Agrawal, joint secretary in union helath ministry, said he was aghast to see free movement of people in the Covid wards at Patna’s NMCH, a dedicted hospital to treat Covid-19 patients. “This is like creating super spreaders. The hospitals must not allow spread of infection, else it will become a dangerous cycle,” he was quoted as saying during his interaction with a healthcare professional at the NMCH.
Dr Neeraj Nischal of AIIMS-Delhi, who was also part of the central team, said foremost importance had to be given to the hospital’s infection control policy and for this arrangement be made for proper training to staff and doctors.
Meanwhlile, enraged by Gandhi’s tweet attack, deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said, “Rahul Gandhi should think about the tag of political tail that his party carries in Bihar.”
“As far as Corona is concerned, Bihar government is alert on this front. Now more than 10,000 tests are being done and beds have been increase,” said Modi.
BJP’s spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “Rahul Gandhi is spreading Verbal Corona in India.”
JD (U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said, “He (Rahul) should first go and assess the situation in Congress-ruled states,” said .
The Congress and its allies in Opposition, however, defended Gandhi. “Bihar is paying the price of complete negligence by the state government .For the past four months, the state machinery is into the election mode and people have been left to the mercy of God. People are running for pillar to post for tests; patients are left unattended. Videos going viral clearly suggest health facilities of Bihar and situation of hospital where people are dying because of lack of food and oxygen. Bodies are left lying in the hospital unattended with the patient,” said state Congress president Madan Mohan Jha.
Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav alleged that the state government was concerned more about holding elections on time and less about lurking threat to life to one and all.
The RJD leader had also tweeted a video of the NMHC, where body of a Covid victim was lying in the isolation ward along with those undergoing treatment.
This is not the first time that Gandhi has targeted Bihar government. During his virtual meeting with state Congress leaders on July 4, he had said that people of Bihar have become fed up with Bihar government’s work and policies. “People want change. The need of hour is that all opposition forces get united so that people of state can live a peaceful life,” he had said.
