Seeking to keep the heat on the state government, the opposition today staged walk out in the Legislative Council over death of 23 children due to eating poisonous midday meal and demanded reply by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the tragedy instead of the Education minister.
After two hours discussion, as Education minister P K Shahi rose to reply, the BJP, RJD and Congress walked out of the House.
Leader of Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi said since the matter was so sensitive, the Chief Minister should have answered the concerns raised by opposition on the issue instead of fielding Education minister and led his party out from the House.
A little later, RJD Legislature party leader Gulam Gaus alleged that out of 38 districts, in 25 the in-charge of midday meal scheme belonged to a particular caste which Shahi contradicted.
He threw a challenge to Gaus to prove his charge or quit membership of the House which provoked the RJD members to walk out of the House.
Lone Congress MLC Jyoti also went out of the House saying the Chief Minister himself should have replied on the subject and there was no point listening to the speech of Education minister.
The Education minister in his reply raised some issues regarding the midday meal scheme of the Centre.
He said Rs 3.37 each is earmarked for providing food, including rice, pulse, vegetable, salt and mustard oil to students from class I to V which is Rs 5 each for students of class VI to VIII.
The centre bears 75 per cent of the cost under the midday meal scheme while state has to spend rest 25 per cent.
"Is it possible to provide quality food at this amount?" he said and stressed that these were issues of wide debate.
Modi earlier in his speech on the subject had alleged that the state government had failed to spend money under the scheme and returned a sizable portion to the Centre.
On this, Shahi said on the basis of 2006-07 assessment, a sum of Rs 8000 was provided during 2008-09 for constructing kitchen shed in schools. Since it was not possible to construct kitchen shed at this partly sum of money it was returned to the Centre, he added.
