Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot Visits Kota Hospital, Takes Stock

Kota: The Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot, visited the JK Lon hospital in Kota where 107 infants have died so far. He criticized his own state government and said that it could have been more considerate in its response to the Kota hospital horror."It is a heart-wrenching incident and the whole country is shaken up," he remarked.

The government needs to fix responsibility, Pilot said. He added that "our response to the entire situation could have been more sensitive." Pilot did not shy away from telling media persons that the state government led by Ashok Gehlot could have been more compassionate in its approach to the unfolding tragedy at the hospital. Moreover, it was important for someone to take moral responsibility for 107 deaths and counting, he added. After 13 months, we should stop blaming the previous government for this, Pilot observed. He remarked, "we have been voted in, and they have been voted out."

The deputy CM of Rajasthan also remarked that discussion on data of deaths was meaningless in the face of such a major tragedy. In reply to a question on the issue getting politicised, he said that his visit, as deputy chief minister was shorn of politics and that he had come without any slogan-raising followers.

Pilot added that the health department would do its job of investigating what had gone wrong and getting its act together. He had come to take stock of the situation, the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan added.

Pilot concluded by saying that "a much more positive and sensitive response from all of us would be appreciated."