Party committed to setup AIIMS in Jammu, says BJP MLA Pathania

A BJP MLA on Monday said that his party unanimously supports setting up of setting up of an AIIMS in Jammu region.

"The stand of BJP is very clear and all the BJP legislators had voiced unanimity for setting up of AIIMS at Jammu in the last budget session" R S Pathania, party MLA from Ramnagar assembly constituency of Udhampur district said in a statement issued here.

He said that the BJP has vowed to formally announce the setting up of the AIIMS in Jammu and the work on it would start from July 20.

"And now when BJP has vowed to formally announce and start work on setting up of AIIMS before 20th July, Panthers party want to muddle the public opinion by issuing vague and out-of-context statements" Pathania said.

Pathania was responding to the statement of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) chairman, Harsh Dev Singh, who yesterday had said that BJP was befooling the people of Jammu region over the issue of AIIMS.

"AIIMS in Jammu is the result of a long-drawn struggle by the party (BJP) and fringe-elements and opportunistic Panthers (Party) cannot steal the credit for same by their out-of-sync antics and tried and rejected theories" he said.

Pathania, further, accused Harsh Dev Singh of making false, tailored and blasphemous statements.

"Nonetheless, the statement wherein he admits that Sushma Swaraj had sanctioned 120 crores for AIIMS in 2004, itself vindicates the BJP stand that AIIMS for Jammu was a gift of Vajpayee government he said.

"Ironically, Panthers leader's "high-voltage statement cunningly skips counter of the main charge that Harsh Dev Singh was part of the State cabinet at the time when Sushma Swaraj, on behalf of NDA government announced AIIMS in Jammu" he said.

Pathania continued saying that later on when the issue was frittered away by the then State government, Harsh Dev was also responsible for the same according to the dogma of 'collective responsibility of the cabinet'.

"Secondly, while he is quoting rules, regulations and ticklish legal routes, mechanisms to be followed for sanctioning a fresh AIIMS allegedly as per AIIMS Act, he simply wants to confuse and confound the establishment of AIIMS in Jammu" he added.