"If the BJP government so wants it should recommend a CBI inquiry into the children deaths in the BRD Medical College hospital... Along with other probes, the agency could also be roped in," he told reporters here.
Replying to questions, he said that the cause of the deaths will be known after the completion of inquiries, but the matters that are coming to the fore now smack of corruption somewhere causing a breakdown in the supply of oxygen in the ward.
The death toll in the BRD hospital since August 7 till yesterday was 71 due to various causes including encephalitis.
Some of the deaths were alleged to have been caused by shortage of oxygen supply, a claim dismissed by the Uttar Pradesh government.
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Describing Adityanath as "the digital chief minister of a new India", the former chief minister said he (Adityanath) was unaware of the reality and was instead embroiled in issues like namaz on the roads and Janmashtami functions in police stations.
"The chief minister says the SP did not allow Janmashtami functions in the thanas...I ask as to when in the past 100 years the festival was not celebrated in the thanas... On the roads issue, ours is a great nation where people organise feasts also on the roads...
The former chief minister said that if elected, his party's government will give Rs 5 lakh to each the thanas for celebrating Holi, Diwali, Janmashtami, Eid and all other festivals.
On the floods in several parts of the state, he alleged that the government was not extending enough help to the victims.
He also spoke on his detention while moving toward Auraiya yesterday, saying that the BJP which had won 325 of the 403 Assembly seats in the elections earlier this year was not comfortable in facing the people for the panchayat chairman's post and, therefore, was harassing the MLAs with the help of the police.