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Union Minister of State for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan criticised the Odisha government and said the Kalahandi incident has maligned Odisha’s image.
The shocking incident of a poor tribal carrying his wife’s body on his shoulders is a sad reflection of the insensitivity in the state. The incident shows the insensitivity of the state administration towards the people of the state. Both the state and the district administrations should take the matter very seriously and introspect,” Pradhan said.
The Kalahandi BJP unit staged a demonstration before the Bhawanipatna CDMO office protesting the incident. Talking to reporters here, Pradhan said the Chief Minister and the administration appear to be speaking in different voices over such a sensitive issue that has outraged the entire nation.
While CM Naveen Patnaik talks of inquiry and action against those responsible, the administration has been on a cover-up job denying any lapses and insisting that the bereaved Dana Majhi had left the hospital with his wife without informing anyone.
The Union Minister also took a swipe at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for announcing ‘Mahaprayan scheme’’, hearse at every hospital to carry bodies free of cost. The Kalahandi district headquarter hospital did have hearse and ambulances yet Dana Majhi had to carry his wife’s body on his shoulders, he quipped.
Schemes can be announced, but the crux of the matter is to ensure it is implemented across the state effectively, remarked Pradhan.
Meanwhile the Chief District Medical Officer of Kalahandi , Braja Kishore Brahma terminated the contract of a male nurse Rajendra Rana for dereliction of duty in connection with the Dana Majhi case.
Union Minister Pradhan also came down heavily on the state government for the mess in the education sector and caustically remarked that teachers cannot be treated like cab service providers. On the contentious Mahanadi river water dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha,he said ,the central government had taken the lead in mediation between the two states and Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati has invited Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for talks on any date convenient to him between 10 to 20 September.