Bhubaneswar/Malkangiri: With the death cases due to Japanese Encephalitis rising continuously by the day, a blame game has started in the political circle as Congress carried out a rally named ‘Sishu Banchao’- in the district headquarters town today accusing BJD government of making all efforts to suppress the mass child death.
The grand old party today carried out the ‘Sishu Banchao’rally and staged demonstration in front of the Collector office. AICC secretary Suresh Hegde, senior leader Bhakta Das and Pradeep Majhi accompanied by hundreds of party activists demanded Rs 12 lakh compensation to the families of each deceased and vaccination programme from November.
"BJD government had made all round efforts to cover up the mass child death. If the Congress does not take to street, the government would have successfully suppreessed the matter. We got to know that CM Naveen Patnaik is visiting the district on November 10. It’s our sincere request that he should enter the district after being vaccinated", Congress leader Pradeep Majhi said.
Similarly, AICC secretary Hegde alleged that the State government can’t feel the pain of the families of whose kids have died of the vector-borne disease.
"I am in doubt whether the State government is pained over the child death issue", Hegde said.
BJD's Malkangiri legislator Manas Madkami came forward to defend his party-led State government. He dubbed the Congress-led rally in the district as a cheap politics.
"The Congress is doing nasty politics over the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (JE). They should meet the people of affected areas and spread awareness first. Then after they can feel the successful implementation government measures", Madkami said.
Meanwhile, two other kids succumbed to the disease taking the total toll to 70 today.
Two-year old Sania Raba of Kurusibeda village under Korukonda block and Tutu Durua (2) of Tandiki village under the same block in the district died while undergoing treatment at the headquarters hospital today.