Bihar govt is putting all its efforts to tackle coronavirus situation, says JDU leader Neeraj Kumar

Bihar Minister and JDU leader Neeraj Kumar on Saturday refuted the allegations of levelled by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav that the state government is inept in handling of COVID-19 situation.

Neeraj Kumar said, "Corona is a pandemic and people of Bihar knows that it is a difficult situation. The state government is putting all its efforts."

"Prince of corruption, your father used to make fun of people during floods by advising them to catch fish," Kumar said taking a dig at Tejashwi, whose father, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, has been convicted in four fodder scam cases and was awarded up to 14 years of imprisonment.

Lalu Prasad has been convicted in four fodder scam cases and was awarded up to 14 years of imprisonment. Imprisoned for corruption in Jharkhand, he has spent a large part of his sentence undergoing treatment at the RIMS in Ranchi.

The JDU leader further said, "The state government is sensitive to the issue (COVID-19) and is taking all measures to curb the infection. The doctors and health workers are putting their lives at risk to save people. But you (Tejashwi) can't see it."

"To help the common people, the state government has spent Rs 8,538 crore in Bihar," he said.

"You are making fun of people of Bihar who are facing coronavirus. This is a tradition, which you got from your father," he added.

Earlier in the day, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed the Bihar government for the inept handling of COVID-19 and alleged that it is fudging data on coronavirus cases while cautioning that if the testing is not done then there are fears of Bihar emerging as a "global hotspot" for the pandemic.

"COVID-19 testing in Bihar is the lowest in the country. The situation is bad. The state government is also mpulating COVID-19 numbers. The government should be transparent in providing data. The test results obtained for a day is declared for two days. The Centre is sending a three-member team to Bihar to review the situation as cases are rising," Tejashwi Yadav said at a press conference.

"The rate, at which the cases are rising in the state is alarming and if daily 30,000-35,000 tests are conducted then about 4,000-5,000 new cases will be detected and Bihar will have the most infected people. The rate, at which the coronavirus cases are rising it seems that there is a possibility that Bihar will not only become a national hotspot but a global hotspot of COVID-19," he had tweeted earlier in the day.

( With inputs from ANI )