PATNA: On one side the state government has suspended collective activities and cancelled meetings effective March 13 over coronavirus scare, and on the other, the state health minister Magal Pandey attends the regional workshop of party workers at Vikramganj in Rohtas on Saturday, in clear violation of the earlier directive.
The workshop was attended by party workers of Kaimur, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Buxar and Rohtas district.
Pandey was not the only one who flouted the ban on Saturday.
A meeting of party workers, district presidents and divisional presidents of Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Madhubani and Jhanjharpur was attended by Bhupendra Yadav (Bihar BJP leader) on Saturday at Saharsa.
Yadav and Pandey themselves, perhaps being oblivious of the ban in the state, tweeted about their meetings with photographs.
Bhupendra Yadav tweeted about how the meeting went and that they discussed the progress of the organization's work.
The leader of opposition of RJD Tejashawi Yadav on seeing the post, attacked state government and accusing Nitish Kumar of creating an atmosphere of fear in the name of coronavirus.
He issued a statement that the RJD training program was cancelled in the name of coronavirus.
"We, the RJD, happily followed the order, but the health Minister is flouting the advisory of the government by attending such a workshop and meeting. Why such a double attitude of the government?" he alleged.
He alleged that on one hand, the Bihar government has closed schools, colleges, theatres and parks also and banned the public and crowd-pulling events, but on the other, health minister and BJP's in charge have flouted the decisions and putting many lives at risk.
"What is CM doing? Is there no coordination between the decision of the government and their ministers?" Yadav asked.
He asked chief minister Nitish Kumar to muster courage and "dismiss health minister Magal Pandey with immediate effect."
Meanwhile, the BJP responded, quoting the state president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, that all major programs of the party were cancelled but party organisation will continue its activities at the Mandal and booth levels.
The party said all the meetings attended by Bhupendra Yadav and health minister Magal Pandey were of small in size and dispersed shortly after formal discussion.
Many leaders from the opposition and senior citizens condemned the flouting of rules and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate cognisance of it as the matter pertains to the lives of people involved.
Manoj Kumar, a social activist, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow up on the slip-up because such behaviour by senior party leaders will cast a bad impression on the party's stand and commitment on serious issues like the coronavirus outbreak ahead of polls in the state.