Take cognizance before civil war breaks out: Kirti Azad to Bihar Govt.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirti Azad warned the Bihar Government on Friday that it is only a matter of time before civil war breaks out in the state in light of the recent midday meal tragedies.

"The offices who are involved in the midday meal have started giving statements which are not desirable (and) not expected from these offices. The Bihar Government should take cognizance before a civil war breaks out in Bihar. People have lost confidence in the Bihar administration. Not only are teachers refusing to cook the midday meals, children have refused to eat it", Azad claimed.

On July 16, a poisoned midday meal in Chhapra, Bihar (Saran district) claimed the lives of 23 children after which the government food scheme has come under immense scrutiny from political parties.

Adding to the unrest that is brooding within Bihar after this tragedy, on Thursday three lakh primary school teachers across Bihar boycotted their midday meal duties on grounds that it interfered with their teaching work, a decision that was slammed as "irresponsible" by the state government that said it would inform the Supreme Court of the matter.

Bihar Primary School Teachers Association President Brajnandan Sharma said the midday meal duties interfered with teaching duties and also brought a bad name to them because of corruption indulged in by others.

Sharma added that repeated requests were made to the government to remove primary teachers from midday meal duty and to appoint an agency for the task but they were ignored.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe has been ordered into the case and no party should politicize the tragedy.

Kumar had also announced a compensation of two lakh rupees each to the families of the deceased.