Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru (MS)

Mysuru, Dec 16: Shivanand Patil, state health minister, not only displayed his ignorance by saying that he had come to know about the deaths due to poison in prasadam of Maramma Devi temple near here only at 4 pm of Saturday, December 15 (the incident was telecast on the evening of Friday, December 14), but also gave a sarcastic answer by asking the people as to what he had to do by visiting the place of the incident earlier.

Speaking to the media on the morning of Sunday, Dec 16, the minister justifying his arrival on the spot of the incident, in which 13 people have lost thier lives, a good 44 hours late, sarcastically said, "I came to know about the incident only at 4 pm of Saturday, December 15. I am living in Vijayapur. It takes time to come from Vijaypur to Mysuru. The chief minister had arrived no? What I have to do when a person who is higher in position than me has visited the place?"

"The delay occurred in making sure that poison was indeed mixed in the prasdam of Maramma Devi. So there was delay in shifting the affected people to the city," agreed the health minister. Minister Shivanand Patil visited the K R hospital in the city along with Puttaranga Setty and MP Dhruvnarayan and said that the condition of six people in Apollo hospital is critical.

The minister who was praising himself in the midst of his ignorance and exhibition of poor knowledge of the incident, said, "I have corrected many issues after assuming power. 400 ambulances have been purchased. 360 doctors are recruited. There is a vacancy of another 1000 positions and they will be filled soon."

The minister has to himself clarify the veracity of his statement that the prasadam poison incident did not come to his knowledge even though the whole state has expressed its rage over the incident. Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who had been to Chennai to inquire about the health of Siddaganga Sree had come directly to Bengaluru. The CM conducted an emergency meeting in the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) itself and proceeded to Mysuru via a special flight and inquired the health of those who got admitted in various hospitals of the city.

In addition, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Dharmasena, minister G T Devegowda, MP Dhruvnarayan and Pratap Simha and all the local MLAs had visited the hospitals and inquired about the well being of the affected people.

It is a irony that Shivananda Patil, who is heading the health department of the state government, acted in a manner that there is no connection to him with the tragedy and tried to defend his late arrival.