Centre only collects data sent by states: BJP

The BJP, on Wednesday, countered the criticism raised by opposition parties over the Centre’s reply in the Rajya Sabha that no death took place due to shortage of oxygen in any state, by putting the onus of data collection on the state governments.

“The Centre has said that health is a state subject, and the Centre only collects the data sent by the state governments,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told mediapersons in Delhi. “Not a single state sent data related to deaths due to lack of oxygen. The Maharashtra government admitted before the court that no death took place in the state due to lack of oxygen.”

Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh has also said that no death was reported in the state due to lack of oxygen, he said. On Wednesday, ET reported that Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo had said that no death in the state took place due to shortage of oxygen.


Patra took on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for tweeting on the subject even though Congress-ruled states too came up with similar data.

In May, the Maharashtra government had claimed before the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court that no deaths were caused due to oxygen shortage. The submission was made by the state on May 19 before a division bench of the Bombay High Court.

But, in April, as many as 24 patients in a Nashik Hospital had died due to lack of oxygen. The relatives of seven patients who died at a Vasai-Virar municipal hospital in Palghar blamed their death on shortage of oxygen.