Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary N. Lokesh on Wednesday referred to “one more death” of a resident of Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district, and wondered if Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would term this too as natural.
Addressing the media, Mr. Lokesh said the wife of the victim had clearly said that her husband, Varadarajulu, had fallen ill after consuming illicit liquor and died while undergoing treatment in Guntur General Hospital.
Mr. Lokesh said the ruling party leaders had contradictory views on the “hooch tragedy.” While the Chief Minister called all the fatalities as natural, a Minister said four to five deaths were due to consumption of illicit liquor.
The TDP leader demanded that the Chief Minister resign to his post for “misleading the Assembly and betraying the people of the State.”
He said the TDP would not give up till the government met its demand for payment of ₹25 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of each of the 26 “hooch victims” and ordered a judicial probe to bring the facts out.
Tribal girl’s death
Referring to the death of a tribal girl student of Maredumilli residential school in East Godavari district, Mr. Lokesh said the government failed to protect the girl.
In a statement, Mr. Lokesh, who is also a Member of the Legislative Council, said that the Class 10 student, Sumitra, a native of Chakkawada village in Chavadikota panchayat, had died in the lap of her mother on the roadside.
“It exposes the failure of the YSRCP government on all fronts,” he alleged.
The TDP leader alleged that the staff of the residential school did not provide timely medical care to Sumitra despite her serious health condition.
Sumitra’s family members had initially taken her to the Bodaluru Primary Health Centre. From there she was taken to Maredumilli and then to Rampachodavaram. She was later shifted to Rajamahendravaram and then to the Kakinada Government Hospital.
Mr. Lokesh said all the government medical centres had turned away the girl, as a consequence of which Sumitra died on the road when her family members were waiting for a bus to take her back home.
The local ward secretariat and the departments of Tribal Welfare, Education, and Medical and Health were responsible for the girl’s death, Mr. Lokesh alleged.
Questioning the government on the utility of the Aarogyasri scheme and the ‘104’ ambulances, he said none could save Sumitra’s life.
