Gehlot slams Rajasthan govt over alleged cough syrup deaths; cites neglect, corruption

Jaipur, Oct 5 (PTI) Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday hit out at the BJP government in Rajasthan over the alleged deaths of children after consuming cough syrup, accusing it of corruption and neglect.

"Rajasthan used to be an example not only in India but also worldwide because in 2011, the Congress government had launched the free medicine scheme, which was later adopted by several other states and countries," Gehlot said.

He alleged that it was "deeply shameful" that such an ideal scheme was being defamed under the BJP government due to deaths caused by cough syrup.

"Instead of taking responsibility for these deaths, the state government is not even acknowledging them. This shows that corruption in the Rajasthan BJP government has reached a level where they do not even care about human lives," he said.

At least three children have allegedly died after consuming cough syrup in different districts of the state. However, the government has claimed that the syrup alleged to have caused illness and deaths has been found safe in laboratory tests.

Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said on Saturday that there was no adulteration or fault in the medicine.

Gehlot urged Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to personally review the Chiranjeevi Scheme and the Nirogi Rajasthan Scheme (free medicine and free tests), saying these initiatives were widely discussed across the country and under close scrutiny. PTI SDA OZ OZ