Hyderabad: Alleging that 36 children in welfare residential schools have died due to food poisoning during the Congress government’s 10-month rule in the state, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) senior leader and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao said that there was no accountability for the deaths, even as Congress’ ministers are busy campaigning in Maharashtra for the elections there.

He was pointing his fingers at women and child welfare minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka), who was in Maharashtra campaigning for her party’s candidates on Tuesday, November 5.

Harish Rao visited NIMS hospital on Tuesday, where students from the Wankidi Gurukul have been receiving treatment after an alleged food poisoning incident.

“I am here to check on the health of Mahalakshmi from 8th grade and Jyothi and Shailaja from 9th grade, who were transferred to NIMS. While Mahalakshmi is recovering, Jyothi’s condition remains critical, and Shailaja is fighting for her life on a ventilator,” the former health minister told media persons.

“The sight here is heartbreaking. Some students are still suffering from severe symptoms, and it’s unimaginable that these conditions persist under government watch,” Harish Rao added.

Claiming that in just seven months around 600 students have fallen victim to food poisoning, snake-bites, rat bites, and electric shock in these schools, Harish Rao questioned how long the government would ignore these issues.

“The chief minister and his council of ministers remain preoccupied with elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, leaving Telangana’s residential schools to fall apart. Media outlets are reporting the abysmal conditions daily, yet the government offers only token responses. Instead of band-aid solutions, we need lasting measures. These 36 student deaths can only be seen as government failures. And yet, there has been no internal review, no accountability,” Harish Rao alleged.