Arvind Kejriwal's ‘not right’ reply as PM Modi targets Delhi over Ayushman Bharat health cover scheme

PM Narendra Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in Delhi and West Bengal.

Updated on: Oct 30, 2024, 11:53:49 IST

By HT News Desk

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Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party has hit back at Prime Minister Narendra over the Centre's Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme accusing him of doing politics over the issue of public health in Delhi.

Former chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. (Hindustan Times)

Arvind Kejriwal's reaction on Tuesday comes after PM Narendra Modi criticised the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme out of “political interests”.

Modi also said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in Delhi and West Bengal and called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens.

Addressing a public gathering at New Delhi's All India Institute of Ayurveda, Modi said, “I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state governments' decisions, I cannot help you.”

Reacting to Modi's allegations, Arvind Kejriwal said speaking wrongly about the issue of public health and indulging in politics on it is not right.

In a long post on X in Hindi, Arvind Kejriwal said PM Modi should study the Delhi model of healthcare and replace his government's Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme with it across the country for real benefit to the people. The former Delhi chief minister claimed he has yet to meet a person who got treatment through the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

"Pradhan Mantri ji, Speaking wrongly over public health issue and indulging in politics on it is not right...," Kejriwal wrote.

The former chief minister said under the Delhi government scheme, each person in the city receives free medical treatment - the government bears the entire cost whether it's a ₹5 pill or treatment worth ₹1 crore.

He also offered to send list of lakhs of beneficiaries of Delhi government's health scheme.

The AAP national convenor also questioned benefits under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, saying the CAG found several irregularities in it.

Meanwhile, Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a statement, claimed that the Ayushman Bharat is a “failed” scheme.He added that poor patients from states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan where the scheme was implemented, visited Delhi hospitals for surgeries.

“The Delhi government hospitals provide free treatment unlike the paid treatment provided in BJP-ruled states. Delhi government health schemes are far more effective than Ayushman Bharat scheme,” Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also dismissed the central scheme as “impractical”.

“If you own a refrigerator, a motorcycle, or have an income above ₹10,000, you cannot avail of Ayushman Bharat benefits,” Sanjay Singh claimed.

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HT News Desk
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