Hundreds died due to oxygen shortage: BJP MLA

July 27, 2021 20:31

A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Hardoi claimed that 'hundreds of people died' due to lack of oxygen during the second Covid wave, days after his party's Union government told Parliament that states did not report such deaths.

BJP's Gopamau MLA Shyam Prakash wrote this on the Facebook wall of journalist Anand Mishra, who had posted newspaper cuttings of letters of some MLAs, in which the issue was raised.

"You have told the truth, I agree with you, hundreds of people died in agony due to lack of oxygen. No one can see the pain of lakhs of families, including that of MLA Rajkumar Agarwal," the MLA said.

Agarwal, a BJP MLA from Sandila, had lost his son during the second coronavirus wave and had alleged negligence on the part of the hospital.

Shyam Prakash, however, on Monday told reporters that he had not written about Uttar Pradesh when he made the comment on the Facebook wall of the scribe.

The Union government had last week told the Rajya Sabha that no deaths due to lack of oxygen were reported by states and UTs during the second COVID-19 wave.

'All states and UTs report cases and deaths to the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis. However, no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states and UTs,' Minister of State for Health Bharati Praveen Pawar had told Parliament in a written reply to a question.

Earlier too, several BJP leaders had complained of mismanagement during the second coronavirus wave, with even former Union minister Santosh Gangwar writing to CM Yogi Adityanath about the situation in his Bareilly constituency.

He said officials don't take calls and government health centres send back patients for 'referrals' from the district hospital.

He had also complained about the shortage of empty oxygen cylinders and high prices of medical equipment in Bareilly. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Jolt to MVA as Cong leader quits campaigning over no Muslim LS candidate

In a letter to Kharge, Khan said he will not campaign for party candidates for the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls and is also resigning from the state Congress campaign committee.

NIA chargesheets 14th accused in 2022 Coimbatore car bomb case

Naseer and his associates had conspired to wage war against the government of India and also to kill Indians in order to destabilise the country and create communal disharmony, it said.

India's Biggest Bow Arch String Girder

Glimpses of India's biggest Bowstring/Bow Arch Sting Girder installed by the Hindustan Construction Company on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link at 3.25 am, Friday, April 26, 2024.

IPL PIX: Punjab Kings beat KKR in record chase

IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings in Kolkata on Friday.

'Stats are going out of the window'

'Very pleasing. Most importantly the win, cricket has turned to baseball isn't it? We're delighted with the two points.'