State Congress president Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday hit out at Health Minister Amar Agrawal over the outbreak of jaundice in the State that has claimed 17 lives so far mainly in Raipur and Durg districts.
Baghel slammed Agrawal and Woman and Child Development Minister Ramshila Sahu for their alleged ‘irresponsible’ statements on prevailing jaundice problem. “Agrawal, instead of providing medical and other help to jaundice-hit patients, has held the victims themselves responsible for the outbreak which is unfortunate and shameful,” Baghel said in a statement.
The Congress State chief claimed that Agrawal had also described the media danav (demon) for consistently raising the jaundice menace, which was insulting. Baghel further stated that Sahu held God and the climate responsible for the outbreak and refused to do much to contain the disease.
“If the Ministers can’t perform their duty, they should at least refrain from making such irresponsible statements’’, Baghel was quoted in a Congress statement. He said, “It is like adding salt to the injury of jaundice-hit people.”
Baghel said about one thousand people across the State have been affected by jaundice. More than a dozen people have lost their life, but the Health Minister woke up only after a week. Instead of providing relief to the victims, he has been trying to add salt to their wounds, he said.