Patna (Bihar): While Bihar chief minister Nitish has been steadfast in refusing to evacuate the state’s students stranded in Kota during the lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, his ally BJP’s MLA from Hisua (Nawada), Anil Singh has just returned from Kota with his daughter. Covering a distance of over 2,200 km, Singh had obtained a pass from Nawada ‘s sub-divisional officer (SDO) Anu Kumar.
Officer Anu Kumar, who is authorized to issue passes said the MLA had claimed that his daughter who was preparing for medical entrance exams at Allen Institute, was not well and needed to be brought back.
While speaking to ETV Bharat, BJP leader said, "I have done no wrong and none of my actions could be termed as violation of lockdown in any way. There is provision for pass in view of extremely important work. I applied for e-pass as per laid down provisions as for me bringing my daughter was of utmost importance, the pass was issued and I went following the guidelines and returned."
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The pass was issued in the name of the legislator for a 10-day period from April 16 to April 25. He returned on April 18 after driving virtually nonstop.
On being asked about other students stranded in Kota, Singh replied, "If any parent wants to bring back their children from Kota, they should follow the prescribed online guidelines just as I did. There should be no politics over it.
Denying the allegations of Bihar government not trying to help the students, BJP MLA clarified that Nitish Kumar led government is doing it's best to help the poor migrant workers by providing them with cash. All necessary steps are being taken by the state government. However, in such situation it's advisable to maintain social distancing norms and physical movement should be avoided.
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"In case of extreme difficult situation parents can apply for online passes and get their children back keeping in mind the necessary guidelines and instructions", he added.
