Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said he had converted his official residence into a COVID-19 care centre, with 50 beds for patients and all necessary medical equipment.
Mr. Yadav, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, has set up the centre at his 1, Polo Road residence in Patna in his personal capacity. “But I cannot run the centre as it is a government bungalow,” he said in a video message.
“I urge the State government to take over my official residence where I’ve provided all facilities of beds, oxygen cylinders, medicines, free food and all medical equipment for COVID-19 patients, to convert into isolation wards or quarantine centres as people are not getting beds, medicines or other necessary help in government hospitals,” Mr. Yadav said in the video, with photographs of the arrangements made at his residence.
He said that he had been writing to the government for the last four years but had not received a response from it. “But being responsible Opposition, I want to give my government bungalow to the government. I urge the government to let me know if it needs any other required help from us,” he added.
Earlier, on May 18, Mr. Yadav had written to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking his permission to visit hospitals. “For the last few weeks, my party MLAs and leaders were undertaking initiatives to arrange beds, oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs to handle the rising cases of COVID-19 in their respective areas. I want to visit those areas and hospitals to assess the initiatives taken by my party men for COVID-19 patients. Therefore, I urge the government to grant me permission to visit those areas and hospitals and my visit does not cause any inconvenience to patients,” he said in the letter.
However, Janata Dal (United) leader Suheli Mehta quipped, “Tejashwi Yadav is doing a drama.”
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and party spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav wants to do politics while sitting in Delhi to hog limelight. He has neither seriousness over COVID, nor does he have a positive mindset. When everything in Bihar is under control and the State government has made all the necessary arrangements to face the pandemic, Tejashwi is seeking permission to come to the State. I want to ask him with whose permission he went to Delhi that he is seeking permission to come back.”
Mr. Yadav has been in New Delhi for the past few days.
Bihar on May 18, recorded 111 COVID-19 fatalities, the highest in a single day. The State’s death toll due to COVID-10 has gone up to 4,039, with a total of 6,64,115 positive cases. The number of active cases in the State, so far, is 64,698, with an 89.65% recovery rate. So far, 93.1 lakh people have been vaccinated in Bihar.
