Why was Amit Shah's absence from NDA meeting not questioned: Kushwaha
Patna, June 8: RLSP chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, who had skipped the NDA meeting and dinner here on Thursday night, on Friday sought to justify his absence, saying no one was asking why BJP President Amit Shah wasn't present.
The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief is also unlikely to attend Iftar party to be hosted by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), here on Friday evening.
"Amit Shah also did not attend the NDA meeting-cum-dinner party here but nobody is asking why he failed to be there," he said, expressing surprise over why some people are giving so much importance to his absence at the event.
It was the first such event after the NDA came to power in Bihar in July 2017 after the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) broke ties with poll partners Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress to return to the BJP-led grouping.
Chief Minister and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan and senior BJP leaders were present and the RLSP chief was the only one who stayed away.
Kushwaha, who arrived here from Delhi, however claimed that there was no discontent within the NDA in the state.
"I am not unhappy or angry as speculated. NDA is united and there is no dispute," he said.
Ahead of the NDA meeting, RLSP leader Nagmani said Kushwaha should be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the NDA for the 2020 state Assembly polls, as Nitish Kumar "is not the only Chief Ministerial candidate" and Kushwaha was "also Chief Ministerial material".
His statement came amid the JD-U's bid to put up Nitish Kumar as an undisputed leader of the coalition in Bihar.
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B'luru: "Least priority, shifted late," says brother of patient who died in Ramaiah hospital fire
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Bengaluru: Hours after a fire broke out at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital on New BEL Road on Thursday, a 34-year-old patient, Sujay Sujathan Panicker, tragically passed away. His family has accused the hospital authorities of negligence, which they claim led to his death.
The fire at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. Initial reports suggested that there were no casualties in the incident.
Sujay, originally from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in Bengaluru with his family since 2004. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and H1N1 since September 1 at the hospital.
Sujay's wife and father released a video accusing the hospital of negligence. In the video, his wife, Rohini Jayan, alleged that the hospital authorities took no action against those responsible for the fire.
Sujay’s brother, Sujin Sujathan Panicker, speaking to Vartha Bharathi, detailed the family’s ordeal. He said that despite his sister-in-law requesting assistance during the chaos, the hospital staff pushed her away, assuring her that all patients had been safely evacuated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). However, Sujin claims that his sister-in-law did not see Sujay being shifted.
He further stated, “Sometime later, when a doctor arrived, she (Rohini) inquired about Sujay. It was only after the doctor questioned the staff that they rushed to evacuate him.”
Sujin added that by the time his brother was evacuated, 50 minutes had already passed since the fire broke out. "He was still inside, while all the other patients were taken out first. He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness, yet he was given the least priority during the chaos. He was the last one to be evacuated."
He also claimed that Rohini had already noticed that Sujay’s condition had deteriorated and believed he had passed away, though the hospital authorities did not officially declare his death.
Sujin further stated that the hospital authorities called him and his father to the board room at the 8th floor of the hospital, where senior executives and doctors who had treated Sujay were present “During the interaction they (hospital authorities) claimed that Sujay was still alive and that his condition had worsened amid the smoke and that his chances of survival were less, which was not true.”
"Despite staff being present to evacuate my brother, they remained negligent. The fire broke out at 1:00 p.m., so why did it take 50 minutes to get him out? He was in a corner bed in the CCU, and it seemed they either overlooked the room or ignored it. Even after repeated requests, it took them 50 minutes to evacuate him," Sujin added.
Sujin also expressed concerns that the hospital authorities might attempt to influence the investigation. "They can influence anyone—any hospital, any report."
At the time of the interview, Sujin stated that neither the government nor the health department had contacted the family.
A complaint has been filed in connection with the incident at the Sadashivanagar police station. "The statements of the family members have been recorded, and an investigation into the matter is underway. An FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 106 (causing death due to negligence)," said Sadashivanagar police station Sub-Inspector.
Meanwhile, officials from Ramaiah Memorial Hospital were unavailable for comment.
