Amit Shah Dismisses Demands Of Yogi's Resignation Over Gorakhpur Deaths, Says Tragedies Have Happened Before Too

Reacting to Congress' demands for resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath following the deaths of over 70 children in a state-run Gorakhpur hospital, BJP President Amit Shah has dismissed the rival party's demands, saying 'it is not the first time such a tragedy has taken place in this country.'

'Congress ka kaam hai istifa mangna. Itne bade desh me bhot se hadse hue, pehli baar aisa hadsa nai hua hai', ( It's Congress' job to ask for resignation. Many tragedies have taken place in this country. This is not the first time such a tragedy took place), news agency ANI quoted him as saying. 

UP Congress chief Raj Babbar had demanded that a murder case be registered against those responsible for the "massacre" of children and resignation of Adityanath.

"70 children were murdered in the last four days (since August 10). The state government is responsible for their murder," he told reporters in Lucknow.

Babbar also demanded a compensation of Rs one lakh to the next of kin of each child who died due to alleged neglect at the hospital.

Reacting to Congress' allegations, Adityanath said,"This is not the time to indulge in politics, but to show sensitivity. And sensitivity is in finding an answer to vector-borne diseases and eradicating them.

"When Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Union health minister, he had said that he cannot do anything (about Japanese encephalitis in Gorakhpur) since health is a state subject. People whose sensitivity has died, are now unnecessarily rubbing salt to wounds by raising a sensitive issue," the chief minister had said.

Azad, the Congress' leader in the Rajya Sabha, had on Sunday visited the hospital and blamed the "careless" state government for the tragedy. He had demanded an apology from Adityanath for it and his resignation.