Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday stirred up a row when he announced that shrouds will be available for free to cover bodies of people dying due to COVID-19 infection.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday slammed the Jharkhand Chief Minister and said he should have concentrated on providing free medicines instead.
However, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) hit back, saying that the BJP failed to pay attention to the state government’s efforts to provide free vaccine to people.
After convening a virtual meeting of his Cabinet ministers to develop a strategy to curb coronavirus in the state, Soren announced that a decision has been taken to provide kafans free of cost amidst reports that people are facing difficulties in procuring them because of the lockdown-like restrictions in the state.
Responding to Soren’s decision, BJP Jharkhand president and MP Deepak Prakash said that the irony is when the Centre is leaving no stone unturned in saving the lives of citizens, the JMM-led government in Jharkhand is pushing for free distribution of shrouds to the public.
Labelling the government’s announcement as “unfortunate” and “shameful”, BJP spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said that the administration should have decided to distribute free ration and medicine.
BJP Mumbai spokesperson Suresh Nakhua too tweeted a video, showing Soren making the announcement.
The JMM replied to the BJP’s barb, tweeting, “The Hemant Soren government is also giving free vaccines. But to you and your poor politics, what is visible is only the shroud.”
Soren retweeted the JMM’s post and criticised the BJP for the situation in Uttar Pradesh.
“By the way, in your Uttam Pradesh, the sight of the bodies of the poor floating on mother Ganga, the bodies of the poor buried in the sand, the bodies of the poor attacked by dogs and vultures is probably liked by you and that is why it is beyond your taste that someone gets shroud,” read the post.
In another tweet, the JMM alleged that BJP leaders had been caught stealing shrouds and “you have also looted the coffins of soldiers in Kargil”
