Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance owes an apology to the people of Patna, who have been suffering due to heavy rain and floods over the past few days, PTI reported.

“It is not a failure of the people of Patna,” Singh said. “It is our failure. Residents of the city have reposed so much of trust in the NDA, especially the BJP. We owe an apology to them.” Singh is a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai constituency in Bihar.

Patna, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Bhagalpur, Khagaria and Vaishali are among the districts worst hit by rain and floods. At least 42 people have died due to rain-related incidents in Bihar between September 27 and September 30.

Singh also attacked the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar. “The government issued an alert asking the people to be on guard,” he said. “But was it on guard itself? Had it been so, people would not have been compelled to suffer so much of misery.”

“I accept the failure, I am representative from Begusarai,” Singh said, according to ANI. “Even in Patna, there are MLA and MPs of BJP. We cannot shrug our responsibility from our failures saying that nature is responsible for it [rain].” The minister said he will seek forgiveness from the people for the state government’s failures.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said earlier on Wednesday that the heavy rainfall was a consequence of climate change. On Tuesday, Kumar had lost his temper with reporters when questioned about the incessant rain and floods in his state. “I am asking in how many parts of the country and across the world, have there been floods?” he had said. “Is water in some parts of Patna the only problem we have? What happened in America?”

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