Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot (left) has criticised the way the Rajasthan government under CM Ashok Gehlot (right) responded to the deaths of infants in Kota. (Photo: PTI file)

After the Opposition BJP, now Rajasthan Congress president and state's Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot too has come out and slammed the Rajasthan government's handling of the deaths of over 100 infants in Kota's JK Lon Hospital.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Kota hospital, Sachin Pilot said the government could have been more sensitive in its response and there is no point blaming past government.

"I think our response to this (Kota infants' deaths) could have been more compassionate and sensitive. After being in power for 13 months I think it serves no purpose to blame the previous government's misdeeds. Accountability should be fixed," Sachin Pilot said.

"One can't escape responsibility by weaving a web of numbers. We shouldn't be talking about what happened in the past. We should rather be fixing responsibility of what is happening at present," Sachin Pilot said on Saturday.

This is the first time a Congress leader, that too the state president and deputy CM, has criticised the Congress's own government in Rajasthan.

"Itne sare bacchon ki maut hui hai. Jimmedari tay karni hogi. Vasundra ji ne kuch galat kiya to janta ne unhain hara diya. Magar ab toh hamari jimmedari banti hai (So many children have died. We have to fix responsibility. People voted out Vasundhra Raje for her wrongs. But now it's our responsibility)," Sachin Pilot said.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on #KotaChildDeaths: I think our response to this could have been more compassionate and sensitive. After being in power for 13 months I think it serves no purpose to blame the previous Govt's misdeeds. Accountability should be fixed. pic.twitter.com/kpD9uxMfUy January 4, 2020

"Shouldn't we be fixing responsibility for deaths of so many children? If infants are dying regularly in this manner, then it isn't sufficient for the government to say more deaths took place in the past," Sachin Pilot said.

His comment comes a day after Chief Minister Ashok gehlot in Jodhpur claimed that deaths of infants happened even during the BJP's tenure but their number had reduced under the Congress rule.

Meanwhile, a high-level team of the centre comprising experts and health economists reached Kota earlier today and inspected K Lon Hospital.

Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota MP Om Birla too reached the city and met families of infants who have died at the hospital.

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