As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar blames the political conspiracy for the death of 23 children in the mid-day meal tragedy in Saran district, leaders of both the Opposition parties have accused Kumar of shielding his Government by making irresponsible and baseless statements.
Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi visited Dharmasati Dandaman village in Saran district on Tuesday to meet bereaved families of those children who lost their lives after consuming the mid-day meal served to them at the Government primary school. Modi said that the ongoing investigations into the mid-day meal tragedy will be definitely influenced when none other than the Chief Minister who is the head of the Government himself is trying to pass the buck to his political opponents without providing any evidence to prove his claims.
Without any loss of time, Kumar immediately blamed political conspiracy and even sought to give a caste angle to the tragedy, he added. The fact of the matter is that children belonging to all castes had become victims of the mid-day meal tragedy, he added. Children belonging to castes like Yadav, Nonia and families of Dalits and Mahadalits were victims of the mid-day meal horror and hence Kumar should not try to attach any caste dimension to the unfortunate tragedy, he said.
“Why Nitish Kumar has formed Special Investigation Team and other agencies are investigating the probe when he is already convinced that the tragedy was caused by a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP and the RJD,” he remarked. Modi said that the medical lapses committed at various levels after children started complaints of restlessness and dizziness should also be probed in full details. Demanding a CBI probe into the tragedy, RJD MP Ramkripal Yadav alleged that Kumar has lost his mental balance and should be sent to a mental asylum as he sees a political conspiracy behind the death of innocent children in the mid-day meal tragedy.
He said that Kumar wants to hush up the entire matter by making baseless allegations against his political opponents. It is highly unexpected from a Chief Minister that he will treat the tragic death of so many children in such a casual way. Instead of showing sensitivity to the bereaved families, Kumar is busy with accusing his political opponents for no reason, he added. He said that both Nitish Kumar and Education Minister PK Shahi should be booked under Section 302 of the IPC.
State JD(U) president Vashishtha Narayan Singh said that the RJD and the BJP are conspiring to execute their unholy plans and destabilise the Nitish Kumar Government. He alleged that both these two parties are doing politics on bodies of innocent children for their petty gains. Meanwhile, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Chhapra admitted a complaint case filed against Kumar, PK Shahi, the Saran District Magistrate and the headmistress of Dharmasati Dandaman School in connection with the meal tragedy. The court has directed the Masrakh police station in Saran district to lodge an FIR and tag it with another case lodged by Akhilanand Mishra, father of a victim, Ashish. A local advocate Shashiranjan Pathak had lodged complaint against Nitish Kumar and three others.