Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj targets LG for remaining silent on Health Secretary's absence
May 28, 2024
New Delhi [India], May 28 : Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday targeted Health Secretary Deepak Kumar for disappearing after the Vivek Vihar fire incident that claimed the lives of seven newborns.
Bharadwaj also took a jibe at the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, for remaining silent on the matter and indulging in politics in sensitive matters.
Saurabh Bharadwaj posted a video on his official X handle and said, "On May 25, around 11:00 pm to 11:30 pm, an incident of fire was reported at a child care centre in Vivek Vihar which killed several newborn babies and this is a very unfortunate incident."
"The next day, I got to know about the incident through the media. I tried calling the Health Secretary multiple times but he did not respond. Therefore, I visited the incident spot alone," he said.
Saurabh Bharadwaj further in the video said that he had called a meeting on Monday in his office but the Health Secretary didn't turn up. "The other officials came. I am surprised that the Health Secretary has been missing for three days. This news is being published in the newspapers. Everybody knows but neither the Health Secretary has called nor he has messaged."
Targeting VK Saxena for not taking action against the Health Secretary, Bharadwaj said, "The LG also didn't say anything on this matter. This is a matter of concern... Is it possible for the Health Secretary to be missing from his state? Somebody informed me that he is on holiday. But I didn't get any application regarding his leave and neither I permitted him. Even if he took leave, I was not informed about that..."
He added, "It's very unfortunate that the LG has said so many things through media but didn't say a single word about the health secretary."
Claiming that the LG is doing politics over sensitive issues, Bharadwaj said, "In such sensitive case in which newborn babies have been killed, and LG not saying a word against him (Health Secretary) shows that he is doing politics in such matters also. This is very sad. How can authorities run like this?... Why the LG is not taking any action against him?"
In a post on his X handle, Bharadwaj wrote, "... Why did the Lieutenant Governor not take any action against him (Health Secretary)? Will LG do politics even on the death of innocent children? The officers are not following the government's instructions and no action is being taken against them, this means they are under the protection of LG. The BJP central government is bent on ruining Delhi."
