Has anyone from your family died?Mulayam asks media on doctors' strike

Lucknow, March 6: In a controversial statement, the Samajwadi Party supremo

on Thursday fumed with media-persons on being asked about ongoing

'

and asked them , "Has anyone from your family died?"

Mulayam's insensitive remarks, that can rake up huge controversy, came in the backdrop of the doctors' strike in many parts of Uttar Pradesh.

On being questioned, Mulayam said, "why is the media giving importance to the doctors' strike?"

"Has anyone from the family of any media-person died due to the strike? If you stop publishing reports of the strike, deaths would automatically come down," he further said.

Doctors' agitation in UP has been going on since March 1 after a clash between supporters of SP MLA Irfan Solanki and junior doctors of GSV Medical College, Kanpur broke out.

The doctors were accused of manhandling the MLA and many junior doctors were booked.

Has anyone from the family of any media-person died due to the strike? Mulayam

Acting on the orders of Allahabad High Court, UP government on Thursday transferred SSP Kanpur Yashaswi Yadav even as junior doctors continued their strike demanding strict action against the police officer.

Amidst reports of deaths in different districts of the state due to the strike, UP government yesterday decided to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act.

Doctors in Kanpur have called off the strike after the UP government decided to invoke ESMA and the intervention of the high court in the matter.

Meanwhile, junior doctors at King George Medical University, Lucknow continued their strike today, paralysing health services at the facility.

A delegation led by Devendra Lalchandani, chairman of the action committee of the Indian Medical Association met SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow on Wednesday night.

The SP supremo assured the striking doctors that he was worried about the future and wellbeing of the junior doctors and would ask the state government to concede their demands.

The doctors have demanded unconditional release of the 24 jailed doctors, withdrawal of cases against them and action against SP legislator Irfan Solanki and the SSP Kanpur.

The subsequent cane charge angered the junior doctors further and doctors across the state joined the strike.

OneIndia News

(With agency inputs)