Odisha's Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak today resigned in the wake of death of 23 people in a hospital fire tragedy, while opposition parties asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to follow suit on moral grounds.
"Mr Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds. I have accepted it and sent it to the Governor," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters here.
The minister, who was also holding Information and Public Relations portfolio, put in his papers as police began interrogation of the arrested SUM Hospital owner Manoj Ranjan Nayak.
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Manoj Nayak was arrested and sent to jail yesterday. He was taken by police on a two-day remand today.
Sources said the minister's resignation came barely a few hours after police began grilling Manoj Ranjan Nayak. The opposition had accused the health minister of shielding the owner of the fire-ravaged hospital.
Opposition parties, which had been demanding the Minister's head to roll since the fire tragedy took place on Monday evening, also alleged that Atanu's wife was an employee of Sikshya O Anusandhan University, headed by Manoj Nayak.
This apart, it was alleged that both Khurda District Collector Niranjan Sahoo and Director, Department of Medical Education and Training P C Mohapatra failed to take action against SUM Hospital because of the minister's close proximity with Manoj Nayak, who also hailed from Kendrapara district as the minister.
However, the minister had for the first time yesterday admitted that there were lapses in fire safety measures in SUM Hospital where the blaze killed 23 people. The hospital had violated fire safety norms and other guidelines.
The hospital was also accused of overlooking a 2013 advisory of the government to improve firefighting apparatus.
As soon as the chief minister announced the resignation
of Nayak, opposition Congress and BJP began gunning for him.
"We welcome Nayak's resignation. However, it will be proper if the Chief Minister also resigns on the same moral ground. This is because people died in fire which is under home department headed by Patnaik," said OPCC spokesman Ganeswar Behera.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress said, "There cannot be a neutral probe unless Patnaik resigns as he is also the Home Minister. The hospital fire was bacuse of the mismanagement in both the health and home departments. If the Health Minister resigns on moral ground, why not the Home Minister as well?".
BJP state President Basant Panda said,"The Chief Minister should also resign on moral ground."
Maintaining that the Chief Minister cannot escape responsibility for the tragedy, Panda said BJP would launch a state-wide campaign demanding Patnaik's resignation.
Odisha BJP had yesterday lodged a police complaint against both the Chief Minister and Atanu Nayak, naming them as accused in SUM Hospital case.
Nayak was not immediately available for comments on his resignation.
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The exit of Nayak from the Patnaik ministry came after he faced persistent opposition attacks since last year over alleged "gross mismanagement" of the health and family welfare department.
The opposition parties have accused 49-year-old Nayak, who represents Mahakalapara Assembly constituency, responsible for the death of at least 163 people in a series of health- related incidents.
The opposition had been demanding Nayak's resignation after death of around 60 infants at Sishu Bhavan in Cuttack last year and that of 20 children due to alleged malnutrition at Nagada in Jajpur district.
The death of at least 58 children from Japanese Encephalitis in tribal dominated Malkangiri district also brought brickbats for him.
He also came in for sharp criticism from different quarters after Dana Majhi, a tribal man from backward Kalahandi district, walked 10 km carrying his dead wife's body on shoulder after being denied a hearse by astate-run hospital in Bhawanipatna.
Nayak, who become a minister at a young age, had defeated BJP heavyweight Bijay Mohapatra in two elections in 2004 and 2014.
