From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 3: The deaths of 24 Covid patients due to lack of oxygen in the Chamarajanagar district hospital seems to be snowballing into a major political controversy with the opposition Congress party demanding a judicial probe and resignations of chief minister B S Yediyurappa, health minister Dr K Sudhakar and education minister S Suresh Kumar, who is the district in-charge.
Opposition leader in the State Assembly and former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah, who spoke to reporters in Bengaluru on Monday after holding a virtual meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, attacked the BS Yediyurappa for its total mismanagement and mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic’s surge in the second wave, threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if the government failed to take action to improve its management of the pandemic.
Siddaramaiah demanded the probe into the episode by a committee headed by a district court judge to bring out the truth.
The probe by IAS officer and KSRTC managing director Shivayogi Kalasad ordered by the state government and the one by DGP & IGP Praveen Sood would not bring out real facts and provide justice to families who had lost their members.
The Congress demanded the resignation of chief minister B S Yediyurappa, health and family welfare minister K Sudhakar and district in-charge minister S Suresh Kumar for the major tragedy that claimed the lives of 24 persons.
Rs 25 lac compensation to each family sought
The Congress leader demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lac to each of the families for the loss of life and urged that the officials responsible for the deaths should be suspended immediately pending further investigation.
It may be recalled that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi first raised the issue through a tweet and asked if the deaths of the people in Chamarajanagar district hospital was murder and ridiculed the state government’s handling of the Covid pandemic.
Commenting on the tragedy, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: “This is murder by designed negligence of YediyurappaGovt! The Health Minister must resign. Will CM Yediyurappaji own moral responsibility for the death?#CovidIndia”.
Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar alleged that “the people have lost faith and trust in the government and ministers” as the government has no planning to handle the pandemic.
Shivakumar tweeted “Criminal negligence has led to these 24 deaths in Karnataka. Why do CM @BSYBJP & Minister @mlasudhakar keep lying every day saying there is enough oxygen? Is there no accountability? How many more will be 'killed' because the Govt can't supply Oxygen?”
The KPCC chief alleged that “the people have lost faith and trust in the government and ministers” as the government has no planning to handle the pandemic.
Shivakumar said he would meet chief secretary P Ravi Kumar and appeal to him to inform the people about the availability of oxygen and medicines related to Covid-19 in the state.
The public has also lost confidence in experts, the KPCC chief said and urged the chief secretary and health secretary to take steps to save the lives of the people.