Winding up his visit to the beleaguered paediatric hospital Sishu Bhawan here that witnessed over 60 deaths in ten days last month, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday made a caustic remark against the Naveen Patnaik Government: “Odisha’s tragedy is being played out in this hospital.”
Continuing his tirade against the BJD Government for the second consecutive day, Gandhi said the Patnaik Government “lacks focus” on developing key sectors like healthcare, education and agriculture. He said that with the money available in Odisha, it is not difficult to run a hospital like this, but the Chief Minister is indifferent towards it.
Accompanied by the Superintendent and Dean of the hospital, Gandhi, however, had a word of comfort for the doctors, saying they were working sincerely to save the critically-ill children. But he trained his guns on the CM for the poor infrastructure of the hospital, saying Patnaik was not concerned about the “future” of Odisha.
Debunking the allegations of other political parties for linking his visit to the hospital with politics, the Congress leader said he came here for two reasons.
“I wanted to see the situation here with my own eyes and I wanted to exert pressure on the State Government to bring its attention to the hospital. If anyone saw politics in it, I am happy because my visit has drawn the attention of the Government towards this hospital.”
Eulogising the robust spirit of Odisha people, Rahul said, “During my visit to one of the wards here, I came across a sick child, who was not worried about his illness but urged me holding my hand and the doctor’s hand to console his mother, who was crying at the bedside. I saw the spirit and the future of Odisha being destroyed inside the hospital.”
The Gandhi scion then visited the historic Swaraj Ashram which is the symbol of freedom struggle in the State. Garlanding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, he was enthralled seeing the pictures of the Father of the Nation, who stayed here during his visit to the State in 1921.
PCC president Prasad Harichandan, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra, PCC vice-president Suresh Mohapatra and treasurer Md Moqim accompanied Gandhi during his one-hour visit to the city.