Nitish Kumar must assume some responsibility
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been assailing his opponents for “politicising” the mid-day meal tragedy. But on Wednesday he jumped into the arena and cried conspiracy behind the event that claimed the lives of more than 20 school children in Chhapra who had consumed food laced with insecticides. The Chief Minister's theory involves collusion between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In doing so, Mr Nitish Kumar has only seconded his Minister for Education PK Shahi's claim along similar lines. If the Chief Minister so firmly believes that the tragedy was the result of a conspiracy by his political opponents, the only purpose that the ongoing probe into the case by a Special Investigation Team can achieve is to confirm the Chief Minister's theory. Indeed, the Chief Minister has provided the SIT with a line of action, rather than leave the investigators to come to a conclusion on the basis of an impartial inquiry that ought to be conducted with the material at hand. Neither the BJP nor the RJD had said anything sensationally wrong, as Opposition parties are supposed to highlight wrongdoings of the Government. The two had legitimately raised the issue of the deaths and demanded accountability from the State Government. Besides, what political conspiracy can there be between two parties that are diametrically opposed to each other and do not see eye to eye on even the most fundamental issuesIJ
The talk of a political conspiracy has been doing the rounds ever since the tragedy erupted last week. Mr Shahi was the first to surreptitiously point out that provisions for Dharmashati Gandaman primary school's mid-day meals, including the contaminated cooking oil, were purchased from the grocery store owned by the school principal's husband who, in turn, was supposedly an Opposition party supporter. His accusations have now been buttressed by the Chief Minister who claimed on Wednesday that, given the high-levels of poisoning found, the meals were not contaminated by mistake. Add to this the ‘fact’ that the principal forced the children to eat the meal, and according to Mr Nitish Kumar, there can scarcely be any doubt that she was executing his rivals' sinister plot. Apart from the fact that this argument is based on fuzzy logic, even if one were to assume that the principal and her grocer-husband were part of a larger political conspiracy, it still points to a systemic failure. The food is supposed to be tasted by the school management and checked off and on by State regime officials before it is served. But this was not done. However, Mr Nitish Kumar has preferred to spin more conspiracy theories. And so he has also said that the consequent violence in the area was politically motivated by “outsiders” — even though that is yet to be established. Perhaps, if Mr Nitish Kumar would just let the investigators do their job while he focusses on his, the State would be better served.