Patna:
A week after the Chhapra tragedy where 23 school children died after eating a mid-day meal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today broke his silence with strong words, blaming the Lalu Yadav's RJD and the BJP for a secret conspiracy.
The reactions came in fast and furious, with Lalu telling NDTV, "This is the most coward Chief Minister. He has only just announced an investigation and has already declared that it's a political conspiracy? This is nothing but a diversionary tactic since he is being attacked from all sides."
BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy added, "Nitish Kumar is trying to run away from his responsibilities. The fact of the matter is 23 poor children have died. And the Chief Minister hasn't even found time to visit their homes or the hospital."
Attempts at damage control later in the day didn't sound too convincing, as JD U President Sharad Yadav tried to defend Nitish Kumar. "The Chief Minister didn't say that. What he said was that both parties announced bandhs soon after. It was in that reference that he made a comment. We take responsibility for what happened."
It's seems like an all-out war in Bihar with the BJP, which recently split from the JDU, and Lalu's party going the distance to make sure Nitish Kumar's claims of good governance and law and order are punctured.
And though they haven't joined hands, their bandhs called after the Bodh Gaya blasts and their comments after the mid-day meal deaths are attempts to drive home the point that 'all's not well' in Nitish's Bihar.
At a time when 23 children have died after eating the mid-day meal infected with pesticide, the main accused is still on the run and there are serious questions the government has to answer on its oversight and inadequate healthcare, many say parties should not focus on politics. However, reality seems to suggest that even in tragedy, politics can never be far behind.