Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s failure to visit Chamarajanagar after the tragic death of 24 persons because of oxygen shortage in the district hospital came under sharp focus during Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar’s visit on Sunday.
The KPCC chief, who visited the houses of the victims to present a cheque for ₹1 lakh each, took a dig at the Chief Minister for not visiting the district to console the bereaved. Mr. Shivakumar said Mr. Yediyurappa was afraid to face the anger of the people. He also said the State intelligence had alerted the Chief Minister of the outrage among the public over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 situation and had advised him against visiting Chamarajanagar.
But, the Congress leader said, the Chief Minister should have shown courage and faced the people. Mr. Yediyurappa may be from Shivamogga, but he should not forget that he is Chief Minister of the entire State, he said.
Mr. Shivakumar also said the “chair” was important to the BJP leader. When asked if Mr. Yediyurappa may have failed to visit Chamarajanagar because of the “jinx” of Chief Ministers losing power after visiting the district, he did not give a direct reply. “It is left to him. But I have come…,” he said.
‘Played down’
He criticised the State government for initially playing down the tragedy by claiming that only three persons had died. Later, when the Congress team visited the town, it turned out that many more people had died in the tragedy, he said.
He termed the deaths a “murder” committed by the government and also countered the government’s claims on the number of COVID-19 deaths in the State. In the next legislature session, the Congress will seek a death audit, he said.
He was accompanied by KPCC working president R. Dhruvanarayan, among others.
