Bharat bandh: Bihar parents blame blockade for daughter’s death, BJP seeks answer from Rahul Gandhi

Pramod Manjhi, a resident of Balabigha village of Gaya, said the condition of his two-year-old daughter, who had been suffering from diarrhoea for the last two days, deteriorated on Monday morning.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav with Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) acting president Kaukab Qadri and supporters raise slogans during ‘Bharat Bandh’ protest in Patna on Monday. (PTI)

After being caught in a traffic jam because of the Bharat bandh, a two-year-old girl from Bihar’s Gaya, suffering from diarrhoea, died on way to Jehanabad Sadar Hospital. The Jehanabad administration, however, said the patient’s family delayed giving medical attention to the girl.

Pramod Manjhi, a resident of Balabigha village of Gaya, said the condition of his two-year-old daughter, who had been suffering from diarrhoea for the last two days, deteriorated on Monday morning. “We got an autorickshaw after waiting for 45 minutes at Belaganj. But as we were approaching Jehanabad town there was heavy traffic. My daughter died before we could reach the hospital. Had there been no bandh, the life of my daughter could have been saved,” Manjhi said.

However, Jehanabad sub-divisional magistrate Paritosh Kumar said the child’s death was not linked to the bandh, which had been called by the Congress and supported by regional parties to protest against the rising fuel prices. “The two-year-old child’s death is not linked to the bandh. The family had delayed the girl’s treatment. Relatives had left home only when the girl’s condition worsened,” Kumar said.

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BJP pounced upon the incident to attack Congress and asked party chief Rahul Gandhi who was responsible for the death of the toddler. “Who will take responsibility for the child’s death? Rahul Gandhi must answer who is responsible for it?” Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Calling the bandh unsuccessful, Prasad said an environment of fear was being created in the country. “It’s the essence of democracy that hospitals, ambulances and medicine shops are allowed to function without any hindrance. But, with the death of 2-year-old in Bihar today, an environment of fear is being created,” the Union minister tweeted.

However, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the Opposition had right to raise issues related to the public. “One can recall how BJP had enforced several shutdowns over diesel and petrol hike when it was in the Opposition. We have been doing exactly that. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should recall his speeches during his tenure as Gujarat CM on its stand against the UPA government,” Yadav said.

RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said there was anger amongst the people and they might not wait till 2019 to overturn the Modi government. Union minister and BJP Nawasa MP Giriraj Singh said Congress and RJD were only doing politics and had little to do with issues of public concern. JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar said RJD’s “anarchic tendencies” were visible on the roads during the bandh.

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