Rajasthan infant deaths: CM Gehlot makes insensitive remarks, Deputy CM Sachin Pilot says response should have been more sensitive

While the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made inconsiderate remarks regarding the unfortunate deaths of 100 children in Kota, the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot has said that the government should have been more sensitive and compassionate towards the Kota tragedy and accountability should be fixed instead of pinning the blame on the previous government.

“After being in power for 13 months, I think it serves no purpose to blame the previous government’s misdeeds. Accountability should be fixed,” Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said. Slamming the Chief Minister, Pilot said that he cannot escape the responsibility by blaming past governments for the tragedy.

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Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday had made insensitive statements on the deaths of more than 100 children in the JK Lon Hospital in Rajasthan’s Kota. He said that more children died during the BJP regime. In fact, days after trivialising the incident by saying that “children die, there is nothing new in it”, the Rajasthan CM shrugged off his responsibility for the deaths of the children saying “Some people are trying to divert attention from ‘other major issues’ such as CAA and NRC’.

Read: After Rajasthan minister walked off TV debate, CM Gehlot wants people to focus on ‘real issues’ like NRC and not children deaths in Kota

In a major public health system disaster in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, over more than 100 children died in Kota’s JK Lon Hospital in the last month. The cause of an overwhelming number of children in the hospital had been due to hypothermia. However, the hospital has given a clean chit to itself by forming a committee to investigate the deaths, which has now ruled out any negligence saying resources and equipment were functioning properly.

Besides Kota, case of medical apathy has also been reported from other districts of Rajasthan. About 10 children died in the Bundi district. The hospital administration had tried to hide the details of the death of the children following the issue of Kota deaths that shook the nation’s conscience. The Additional District Collector has sought a report on the matter.