...sends aid to poison victims’ kin
CHIEF MINISTER Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday sent Rs 4 lakh to the family of the poison victims at a village in Sarnath area. The amount was given to the family minutes before former prime minister VP Singh, a bitter critic of Yadav of late, paid a visit to the family.
According to sources, Yadav was briefed about VP Singh’s bid to take ‘political mileage’ out of the incident. And as the former prime minister was about to reach Chhahi village in Sarnath area, the district officers were already knocking at the doors of the bereaved family offering it Rs 4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
“Yes, I distributed an amount to the family members of the poison victim before the former prime minister’s arrival in the village,” Varanasi district magistrate Rajiv Agarwal said.
VP Singh, however, played down the incident saying “our outfit is working for the welfare of the farmer community across the country”.
It may be mentioned 32-year-old Chotu Yadav, a farmer, his 14-year-old daughter Rekha and three-old-year old son Dayalu committed suicide by taking poison. Chotu’s third child Tulsi, who was also given poison, is undergoing treatment in a local hospital. Singh also visited the hospital to see him.
Reports said Chotu Yadav poisoned his children and himself as he was unable to pay debt, a theory the administration denies. “Chotu Yadav had taken a loan of Rs 49,500 from the Land Development Bank and the records show he was paying the debt in installments on time”, DM Agarwal told HT.
{{/usCountry}}Reports said Chotu Yadav poisoned his children and himself as he was unable to pay debt, a theory the administration denies. “Chotu Yadav had taken a loan of Rs 49,500 from the Land Development Bank and the records show he was paying the debt in installments on time”, DM Agarwal told HT.
{{/usCountry}}Interestingly, three persons of a weavers’ family committed suicide two years ago in the same village in Sarnath. No relief, however, was given to the family, which only received assurances that “everything will be set right”.