Bengaluru, July 22: Senior BJP leader and opposition head in the assembly, R. Ashok, launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka government on Wednesday. This criticism follows the shocking discovery of over 50,000 iron and folic acid tablets intended for school children found discarded in the toilet of a government school in Raichur district.
In a statement, Ashok described this incident as a “stunning example of administrative failure,” accusing the government of jeopardizing the health and lives of underprivileged children. He stated, “This is a heartless government that is trampling on children’s well-being and playing with their lives. Just days ago, nutritious milk powder was found in a cattle shed, and now we have children’s medication in a school toilet. Is this the people-centric governance promised by the state government?”
Referring to the incident at Gurugunta Government School in Lingasugur taluk of Raichur district, he alleged that the tablets, meant for students, were carelessly thrown away and left to deteriorate. He emphasized, “This is not mere negligence; it is an unforgivable betrayal and a heinous crime against the health, future, and lives of poor children. Medicines designed to combat malnutrition among the children of daily wage laborers are rotting in toilets due to the corrupt and irresponsible administration of the government.”
Ashok also targeted Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, questioning whether the health and education departments were asleep or attempting to cover up corruption. He asked, “Should the health of poor children be compromised due to your government’s alleged commission and looting frenzy? Are your health and education departments asleep, or are they guarding this corruption?”
The opposition leader raised several questions regarding the incident, including who was responsible for disposing of the tablets, what actions were taken by officials despite the discarded medicines meant to improve children’s health, and why officials were allegedly shielding the culprits by merely issuing notices.
Demanding strict action, Ashok insisted that the BJP wants all relevant officials and staff to be suspended immediately. Instead of a departmental inquiry, he advocated for criminal cases to be filed against the offenders and for them to be sent to jail.
R. Ashok accused the Karnataka government of neglecting children’s welfare. He pointed out delays in releasing funds for providing eggs and nutrition supplements at anganwadi centers and interruptions in the mid-day meal scheme for government school students.
He stated that the government was making announcements without implementing them on the ground. The mandatory use of the “continuous” app for attendance is affecting the distribution of mid-day meals, especially in the forests of Karwar and Malnad areas, where internet connectivity is poor.
He claimed that if technical issues only allow attendance for a few students, many children could be deprived of meals. Ashok urged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to consider physical attendance registers as the basis for releasing food funds until the network issues are resolved and to ensure immediate payment for eggs and milk supplied under the children’s nutrition program.
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