Bihar’s school meal tragedy, in which 23 young schoolchildren died last week after consuming poisoned mid-day meals, became further embroiled in politics on Tuesday after a report by the ruling JD(U)’s fact-finding team supported the conspiracy theory put forward by chief minister Nitish Kumar and education minister P.K. Shahi.
Even as an eight-member special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe deep into the causes of the tragedy began work on Tuesday, the JD(U) came out with its own probe report that described the deaths as a “clear case of conspiracy to destabilise the state government”. Significantly, the JD(U)’s report came a day after Kumar alleged at a meeting of his party’s MPs, legislators and other leaders at his residence that the Opposition BJP and RJD were the conspirators behind both the Bodh Gaya serial blasts and the school meal deaths in Chapra. Mr Kumar had alleged of a “secret understanding” between the two Opposition parties to “whip up frenzy across Bihar”.
Slamming Bihar CM, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Mr Kumar has not even bothered to visit the children who took ill or meet the family members of those kids who lost their lives. He said JD(U) is making political capital even in a case of grief and sorrow. “Everyday JD(U) leaders are issuing a medical bulletin that the CM is unwell. But he is holding meetings with his party leaders everyday. The CM’s residence has become the JD-U headquarters,” Mr Hussain said.
BJP’s national general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said “Nitish Kumar is shamelessly trying to take cover under the conspiracy theory which certainly is very unfortunate. The fact is that 23 toddlers have died and the CM has entered into a blame game.”