'Immediate action should be taken': Congress' Ashok Gehlot on cough syrup deaths in MP

Ashok Gehlot

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday demanded immediate action over the deaths of children linked to cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh.

"Where are they taking this matter (the death of three children in the state from cough syrup) seriously? Immediate action should be taken," Gehlot told reporters while claiming that Sikar and Alwar in Rajasthan are also facing the same problem.

Gehlot also recalled the health initiatives taken under his previous tenure, saying,

"Today, Rajasthan is number one in the country in terms of medical and health services; there's a discussion across the entire country that when there was a Congress government in Rajasthan before, there was free insurance worth Rs 25 lakh and free medicines, free CT scans, free MRI--there was nothing like this anywhere in the whole of India."

"I demand that the Government of India analyse our experiment and how we implemented it," he added.

He further urged the Government of India to prioritise education and health as part of social security.

Earlier today, Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachariyawas launched a sharp attack on the Rajasthan state government, accusing it of shielding pharmaceutical companies allegedly involved in the sale of fake medicines in the cough syrup row.

Speaking during a protest held by Congress workers, Khachariyawas said the issue concerns public health and cannot be ignored. "This protest is happening over fake medicines. The government doesn't understand that if fake medicines are sold, how will people survive? The government will have to answer. Poison in the name of medicine will not be tolerated at any cost," he told ANI.

He further said that the government was attempting to protect certain pharmaceutical companies for financial gain. "The government wants to save the companies from which it has taken money. The government is committing corruption in the name of medicine. What greater sin can there be than this? Congress has come out on the streets over this, and at any cost, this kind of action by the government will not be accepted," Congress leader said.

Khachariyawas held Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and the state health minister responsible for this situation. "Earlier, they were saying it was the company's fault, then they claimed the medicines were banned, and now they are saying that there's no fault of the company. Then, tell me, how much money have you taken?" he asked.

Congress workers held protests in Bhopal and in Jaipur over the death of 11 children in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, after allegedly consuming Coldrif Cough syrup.

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress workers protested against Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla, demanding his resignation. Protesters were seen with posters and banners featuring the slogans "Rajendra Shukla sharam karo, istefaa do" and "Masoom bacche ki maut ke saudagar zimmedari lo".

Concurrently, in Jaipur, Congress workers held banners with the slogan, "Nakli dawa band karo, doshiyo ke khilaaf karwayi karo, BJP sarkaar jawaab do".