Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath said filth and open defecation are the reasons behind death of children in Gorakhpur. (ANI Photo)

Even as a magisterial probe is underway into the death of over 60 children, including infants, at the Baba Raghav Das Medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday blamed lack of cleanliness.

Addressing a gathering at Allahabad, Adityanath said the death of these children in his constituency was caused by filth and scourge of open defecation.

“There are vector-borne diseases, such as encephalitis, you must be hearing media reports of BRD medical college these days...it is a tragedy that lives of young children have been snuffed out at such young age because we do not lead a clean and hygienic life” he said while reminding the crowd that the disease has been the bane of eastern Uttar Pradesh since 1978.

“Gandagi ki wajah se is desh ka baccha asamay kaal kalvit ho raha hai (Unclean surroundings are causing untimely death of children),” he said, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how his Swacch Bharat mission aimed at ridding people of the dirty and filth around them.

“The governments cannot be the problem, they are solutions and if they are problems in themselves they have no right to continue,” he added.