Why is the Rajasthan government Silent on Children’s Deaths?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Jaipur, Feb 3 (NationPress) The Leader of the Opposition in Rajasthan, Tika Ram Jully, vehemently criticized the state government on Tuesday regarding the tragic deaths of children reportedly linked to contaminated cough syrup consumption.
During the Question Hour, Jully accused the administration of negligence and “commission-driven corruption,” claiming that innocent lives are being lost due to such lapses.
He challenged the Health Minister’s response to inquiries made by Congress MLA Harimohan Sharma, labeling it as both incomplete and misleading. Jully asserted that the government is intentionally protecting the “merchants of death” and insisted on accountability. His statements incited significant protests and uproar within the Assembly.
He revealed that the pharmaceutical company associated with the cough syrup linked to these fatalities has previously been blacklisted in multiple states.
Despite this, he queried how this firm could secure supply contracts in Rajasthan. Jully further alleged that the same contaminated cough syrup batch, which had reportedly resulted in deaths in Madhya Pradesh, was distributed to children in Rajasthan under the Chief Minister’s Free Medicine Scheme.
Speaking with the media after the session, the Leader of the Opposition also criticized the Modi government at the Centre concerning the India–US trade agreement, describing it as a “new document of slavery” and a threat to India’s strategic autonomy.
He accused the United States of coercing India into signing this deal, which he believes would adversely affect the nation’s economy.
Jully questioned India’s oil procurement strategy, expressing concern over the shift away from affordable Russian oil to more expensive alternatives, which he deemed an infringement on India’s independent foreign policy.
Referring to former US President Donald Trump's comments on India–Pakistan relations, he condemned what he termed the Prime Minister’s “mysterious silence.”
He warned that if FIRs are not promptly filed against the culpable pharmaceutical companies and if the complete details of the trade agreement remain undisclosed, Congress would initiate a statewide and national agitation, extending from the streets to Parliament.