BIKANER, July 1 -- The state Congress unit on Tuesday staged a protest in Bikaner over the deaths of two women after caesarian sections at the city's PBM Hospital. Senior state leaders, including state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, led the protest. Addressing the gathering under the PBM Sudharo Abhiyan, Dotasra accused the state government of presiding over a deteriorating public healthcare system and alleged that government hospitals were grappling with shortages of doctors, ANMs and GNM staff. He criticised health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar for allegedly failing to act despite repeated deaths of pregnant woman and said the healthcare crisis was not confined to Bikaner. He added that a Congress delegation had met the district administration and the party would decide its next course of action if dissatisfied with the administration's response. Leader of Opposition in the assembly Tikaram Jully referred to the ICU fire at Jaipur's SMS Hospital to attack the government for its alleged failure to ensure safe and accountable healthcare. Former state Congress chief BD Kalla alleged that medicines had been procured from blacklisted firms and accused the government of failing to improve hospital infrastructure despite substantial expenditure on ICU equipment. He added that multi-parameter monitors had been purchased at inflated prices and demanded a thorough inquiry into the procurement process. Nokha MLA Sushila Dudi appealed to the public to join the campaign, saying the agitation represented the concerns of everyone dependent on government hospitals Former minister Govind Ram Meghwal, who had been staging a parallel protest under the banner of a non-political platform, also joined the programme. However, his speech was repeatedly interrupted by sloganeering, allegedly by supporters of senior Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi. Dotasra gestured to party workers to remain calm, but slogans in support of Dudi continued. After the rally, some Congress workers attempted to enter the district collectorate but were stopped by police, who deployed mild force to push them back. A Congress delegation later met the district collector and submitted a memorandum seeking action over alleged lapses at PBM Hospital. Responding to the Congress' allegations, BJP Divisional IT Cell head Jatin Sahal accused the Opposition of attempting to politicise the deaths. "The deaths of the women were tragic and should be investigated impartially, but maintained that turning the incident into a political campaign was unfair to doctors and healthcare workers," he said, adding that the state government had already taken cognisance of the matter and PBM Hospital should not be made"an arena for politics"....