<p>Bengaluru: In a fresh attack on the Congress, the BJP petitioned the Lokayukta seeking a probe into the series of maternal deaths in Ballari, besides demanding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation.</p>.<p>Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka said that Karnataka attained the dubious status of being numero uno in maternal and child fatalities. While a BJP team met Lokayukta Justice B S Patil, the party president of Karnataka BJP B Y Vijayendra sought a judicial probe into the deaths.</p>.<p>“In the past ten months, 111 newborn children have died, and 28 pregnant women have passed in the past eight months. But the ruling Congress is either busy organising massive conventions spending Rs 20 crore on such events, or busy talking about the power-sharing formula,” said Ashoka.</p>.<p>The Department of Health has reached a ‘diseased state’, quipped Ashoka. “The CM has lost control over his government. Although he gave instructions, maternal deaths have not stopped in Ballari. The CM must resign,” said Ashoka, reiterating the BJP’s demand for a Lokayukta probe into the tragic deaths of mothers and infants in Ballari.</p>.Ballari maternal deaths: Ready to resign if I'm at fault, says Karnataka health minister.<p>Vijayendra, who demanded a judicial probe, sought to know how a government hospital had procured medicines and IV fluids from a blacklisted company. The Karnataka BJP chief opined that this illustrated the manner in which the state government was functioning.</p>.<p>Although the Congress renamed its convention ‘Jana Kalyana (people’s welfare)’, the Congress had completely disregarded the welfare of the public since coming to power in the state. Ballari District In-Charge Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan was busy trying to usurp land using the Waqf Board, Vijayendra alleged. </p><p>“But why have Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil not visited this hospital where the mothers and infants have died. This shows how they are neglecting people’s welfare,” Vijayendra said.</p>.<p>The Karnataka BJP chief also urged the state government to waste no time in disbursing funds to compensate farmers in the Kalyana Karnataka districts who had lost their tur dal crop to a disease.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council T Chalavadi Narayanaswamy demanded Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation. It was Narayanaswamy who led the BJP delegation to the Lokayukta, where the party demanded a probe into the Lokayukta.</p>.<p>“The deaths of these pregnant women and infants is the result of gross negligence, and carelessness,” Narayanaswamy said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: In a fresh attack on the Congress, the BJP petitioned the Lokayukta seeking a probe into the series of maternal deaths in Ballari, besides demanding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation.</p>.<p>Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka said that Karnataka attained the dubious status of being numero uno in maternal and child fatalities. While a BJP team met Lokayukta Justice B S Patil, the party president of Karnataka BJP B Y Vijayendra sought a judicial probe into the deaths.</p>.<p>“In the past ten months, 111 newborn children have died, and 28 pregnant women have passed in the past eight months. But the ruling Congress is either busy organising massive conventions spending Rs 20 crore on such events, or busy talking about the power-sharing formula,” said Ashoka.</p>.<p>The Department of Health has reached a ‘diseased state’, quipped Ashoka. “The CM has lost control over his government. Although he gave instructions, maternal deaths have not stopped in Ballari. The CM must resign,” said Ashoka, reiterating the BJP’s demand for a Lokayukta probe into the tragic deaths of mothers and infants in Ballari.</p>.Ballari maternal deaths: Ready to resign if I'm at fault, says Karnataka health minister.<p>Vijayendra, who demanded a judicial probe, sought to know how a government hospital had procured medicines and IV fluids from a blacklisted company. The Karnataka BJP chief opined that this illustrated the manner in which the state government was functioning.</p>.<p>Although the Congress renamed its convention ‘Jana Kalyana (people’s welfare)’, the Congress had completely disregarded the welfare of the public since coming to power in the state. Ballari District In-Charge Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan was busy trying to usurp land using the Waqf Board, Vijayendra alleged. </p><p>“But why have Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil not visited this hospital where the mothers and infants have died. This shows how they are neglecting people’s welfare,” Vijayendra said.</p>.<p>The Karnataka BJP chief also urged the state government to waste no time in disbursing funds to compensate farmers in the Kalyana Karnataka districts who had lost their tur dal crop to a disease.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council T Chalavadi Narayanaswamy demanded Dinesh Gundu Rao’s resignation. It was Narayanaswamy who led the BJP delegation to the Lokayukta, where the party demanded a probe into the Lokayukta.</p>.<p>“The deaths of these pregnant women and infants is the result of gross negligence, and carelessness,” Narayanaswamy said.</p>