Jharkhand minister bats for shifting Lalu Yadav to super specialty hospital
Jharkhand minister Saryu Roy, who levelled corruption charges against Prasad during his tenure as Bihar chief minister, has written a letter to the Jharkhand chief secretary on November 20 stating that the RJD chief was suffering from 11 diseases and he was reportedly critically ill.
Jharkhand minister Saryu Roy, one of the key whistleblowers of ₹950-crore fodder scam, has advocated for shifting ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad to a super specialty hospital for better treatment.
Roy, who levelled corruption charges against Prasad during his tenure as Bihar chief minister, has written a letter to the Jharkhand chief secretary on November 20 stating that the RJD chief was suffering from 11 diseases and he was reportedly critically ill.
Prasad is currently serving jail term in fodder scam cases and has been admitted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi under the police custody for treatment of diabetes and other ailments.
Roy, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said that media had been reporting about Prasad’s “serious health condition” almost every day. “On November 18, I had met Dr Umesh Prasad, who is supervising Laluji’s treatment at RIMS. According to the doctor, Laluji’s health condition is critical,” Roy said in the letter.
“I feel that (Lalu) Prasad’s treatment should be carried out at some super specialty hospital,” he added.
The food, public distribution and consumer affairs minister asked the chief secretary to take necessary steps in this regard in accordance with judicial and administrative processes.
Talking to HT, Roy said he had been enjoying a close acquaintance with Prasad from the days of JP movement in 1974.
“I raised my voice against Laluji whenever he erred and also filed the first petition against him in 1995 seeking action in the fodder scam. But, the fact remains that he is still an old friend of mine and for this reason I went to meet him in the jail when he was convicted in fodder scam for the first time in 2013,” Roy said.
Meanwhile, RJD chief’s treating physician Dr Umesh Prasad said Lalu Prasad was “critically ill” because of high level of infection due to a festering boil on his right leg. Besides, he was suffering from many other diseases, including uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, Dr Prasad said.
RIMS medical superintendent, Dr Vivek Kashyap, said a medical board would be constituted to ascertain Prasad’s condition. “We are apprising jail authorities about Prasad’s health condition every week,” he said.
Prasad, who was lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail on December 23 last year after his conviction in one of the fodder scam cases, had developed health complications after two months in jail and undergone treatment at the RIMS and the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, for nearly two months.
He was granted provisional bail for six weeks by the high court on May 11 for specialised treatment at Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai. The court had twice extended the bail period, which finally ended on August 30.