RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accuses Bihar government of manipulating COVID-19 figures

Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday (August 12, 2020) accused the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government of "lying" and "manipulating" the COVID-19 numbers in the state.

In a press conference at the party office in Patna, Yadav said, "There used to be 3,000-3,500 COVID-19 cases when the number of tests conducted were around 10,000. Now when the state is testing 75,000 samples the numbers are still restricted to 4,000. This means that the government is lying and manipulating the COVID-19 data. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is focusing on the increasing number of rapid Antigen testing to save his face."

Demanding that RT-PCR testing in the state be increased, Yadav said, "As per the Bihar government data, on an average 6,100 RT-PCR tests are being conducted which means that only 10 per cent of the total COVID-19 tests are being conducted through the RT-PCR method. We demand an increase in RT-PCR testing."

As the state gears up for the upcoming Assembly polls, the opposition parties have been sharpened their attack on the ruling party. Today, Tejashwi Yadav questioned the Chief Minister and Health Minister about COVID-19 figures. 

Yadav also accused the Central government of meting out step-motherly treatment to Bihar.

"Centre has given Rs 890 crore to various states and Union Territories under COVID-19 package. However, it has not given any money to Bihar. Even after knowing the seriousness of COVID-19 in the state, Centre had meted out such step-motherly treatment to Bihar," he said.

According to the Bihar Health Department, there are a total of 90,553 COVID-19 cases in the state including 60,068 discharged, 30,010 active and 475 deaths.