Nitish takes serious note of reported irregularities in COVID-19 testing

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that strong note has been taken of reports in asection of the media about irregularities in the testingof COVID-19 in the state.

Talking to reporters here upon his return from a two-day visit to Delhi, Kumar said he had telephoned the principalsecretary of the health department upon reading the reports innewspapers.

He (the principal secretary) told me that thedepartment has swung into action and records of 22 districtshave been examined. In one district some anomalies appear tohave taken place,'' the chief minister said.

''I have called for speedy investigation and fixing ofaccountability. Those found responsible shall not be spared,he added.

The reports said that data was being fudged in thestate, where the government had been initially accused ofkeeping the COVID-19 testing rate deliberately low so as toconceal the severity of the spread of the contagion.

In the last few months the rate of testing has,however, gone up drastically and Bihar now stands behindonly Uttar Pradesh in terms of the number of people who havebeen tested for the dreaded coronavirus.

Kumar insisted that overall testing of samples inBihar has been very good and that he has been paying closeattention to the records presented before him on a dailybasis.

Reams of documents are with me which show that ourperformance with regard to testing has been commendable. Thosewho want to cross check are most welcome to come to my placeand do so, he said.

Kumar, who is the de facto leader of JD(U), claimedthat he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah among others in Delhi but the talks did nottouch upon his partys inclusion in the union cabinet.

JD(U) had declined to join the Narendra Modi ministryafter the 2019 Lok Sabha polls contending that it did notbelieve in token representation and should get a number ofberths commensurate with its standing in both houses of theParliament.

Now JD(U) is also expected to raise objections overany attempt to accommodate Chirag Paswan-led LJP in the unioncouncil of ministers. LJP has been left with no representationfollowing the death of its founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

LJP's rebellion against JD(U) in the last assemblypolls had caused its tally to plummet. Moreover, ChiragPaswan has been relentless in his attacks on the chiefminister for some time. He has been accusing Kumar of failureto contain the pandemic, curb corruption and control law andorder.

Asked whether the coming West Bengal state electionsfigured in his talks with the top brass of the saffron partywhich has emerged as the principal challenger to the rulingTrinamool Congress in that state, Kumar replied I did notdiscuss Bengal with BJP leaders.

''But the matter is being discussed within our party(JD-U). I have asked the party national president to be intouch with prospective allies and let me know he said.

Kumar had stepped down as the JD(U) chief last monthand anointed his key aide and Rajya Sabha member RCP Singh tothe post.

The JD(U) has already made it clear that it willcontest the assembly polls in West Bengal where it hopes tocash in on Kumars popularity among Bihari migrants.

JD(U) has so far maintained that its alliance with BJPwas confined to Bihar and the party has contested assemblyelections in most states separately.