Bihar BJP MP, on Visit to Flood-affected Areas in Patna, Falls into Water

Patna: Bihar BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav’s visit to flood-affected areas in Patna turned chaotic on Wednesday when the makeshift boat that he was travelling in capsized. As a result, the lawmaker too fell in the water and was then rescued by the locals.

Photographs of the accident show Yadav drenched in water being helped by the people around.

Yadav later slammed the Nitish government for not making enough efforts for the rescue and relief operations and said that he had to use a makeshift boat to visit flood-affected areas

"State administration is only focusing on Patna. They are not looking at rural areas, people are crying. Cattle are dying due to unavailability of food. Even I didn't get a boat, I had to use a makeshift boat to visit flooded areas," Yadav said.

On Monday, deputy chief minister Sushil Modi was rescued from his residence in Patna by the personnel of National and State Disaster Response Forces. Clad in a T-shirt and shorts, he was evacuated by the rescuers in an orange inflatable boat. He was then doing the rounds of the city issuing instructions to officials.

Bihar is currently dealing with a serious flood-like situation after incessant rains lashed the state last week. While the relief and rescue operations are underway, as many as 42 people have lost lives in rain-related incidents.

The slow pace of relief operations has fuelled anger among the people affected by a flood-like situation, particularly in Patna, parts of which have been under water for days. On Wednesday, water was being pumped out of the inundated areas in the state capital.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged people to "have patience".

But he lost his cool in the face of persistent queries from a journalist about the water-logged streets of Patna. Kumar shot back at the scribe late Tuesday, asking him whether there was similar outrage when Mumbai was deluged or when floods disrupted life in the US.