May Be Watching Cricket World Cup, Says RJD Leader as Tejashwi Goes Missing Amid Encephalitis Crisis

New Delhi: As Bihar deals with a medical crisis, with over 100 children dying in Muzaffarpur due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Wednesday took a jibe at Tejashwi Yadav when asked about the opposition’s silence over the deaths.

Yadav, leader of the opposition in the state, has been a vocal critic of chief minister Nitish Kumar in the past, but his absence during the crisis is being questioned by his own party members. He has not been seen or heard ever since the party's rout in Lok Sabha elections, when it was unable to win even a single seat in the state.

"I don't know if he is here or not, I will have to inquire," Singh said when asked about Yadav's absence. "I don't have any information, but I can assume that he might be watching the world cup (in England)."

Singh, a minister in the former Congress-led UPA government, sought Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's resignation.

"The one who has the steering in his hands, shouldn't he run the vehicle properly?" ANI quoted him as saying. "The steering is in the chief minister's hands. Then who else will be responsible for this? He should himself resign on grounds of morality."

Kumar on Wednesday refused to comment when reporters asked him about the crisis in the state. A day earlier, he had visited the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur and ordered authorities to increase the number of beds in the hospital. Kumar was met with protests at the hospital.

Union Health Minster Harsh Vardhan, accompanied by his deputy Ashwini Choubey and Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey, had also visited the state on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)