Mayawati slams Priyanka Vadra's silence over Kota deaths, alleges hypocrisy and negligence

BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday has slammed Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his state government over the death of 100 children in Kota. In a series of tweets, Mayawati said that the death of 100 innocent children in the Kota district of Congress-ruled Rajasthan is very sad and painful. She added that despite this, "CM Ashok Gehlot and his government still remain insensitive and irresponsible towards it, which is extremely condemnable."

READ | Kota infant deaths: Broken windows, shortage of staff, pigs in hospital campus says NCPCR report

Mayawati questions Priyanka Vadra's silence

Slamming Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mayawati said, "But what is even sadder is that the top leadership of the Congress party and especially the women General Secretary's silence in this matter. It would have been better if like UP, she would have met those poor mothers, who have lost their children only due to the negligence of their party's government."

The BSP chief added that the people of Uttar Pradesh have to be "alert" if Priyanka Vadra Gandhi does not meet the mothers of the deceased children in Kota because then meeting the families of victims in UP will only be considered as her "political interest" and "blatant drama".

 

READ | Kota Infant deaths: Govt panel gives docs clean chit, says hospital needs improvement

'Pigs were found roaming inside the hospital campus'

At least nine more infants have died in the last two days of December at the JK Lone hospital in Kota, taking the death toll to 100 for the month, officials said on Wednesday. The death of 10 children at the government-run hospital during a 48-hour period on December 23-24 had triggered opposition criticism and a visit by a team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

Hospital authorities, however, said the number of deaths reported at the health facility in 2019 has witnessed a decline since 2014 when 1,198 children died.  Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had served a show-cause notice to the state government.

"Pigs were found roaming inside the campus of the hospital," its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo had said. A Rajasthan government committee ruled that the infants were given the right treatment.

READ | BJP MPs visit Kota hospital where 91 infants have died, expose poor hospital conditions

READ | CM Gehlot urges Centre to contribute to 'Nirogi Rajasthan' amid 91 infant deaths in Kota