Not right to do politics on public health issue: Kejriwal to Modi

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, 29 October, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of doing politics over the issue of public health in the national capital.

Kejriwal's remarks came after Prime Minister Modi criticised the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme out of "political interests".

Modi said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in the two states 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, 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, 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 posted in Hindi.

He 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 Rs 5 pill or treatment worth Rs 1 crore.

He also offered to send prime minister Modi the list of the lakhs of beneficiaries of Delhi government’s health scheme.

The AAP supremo also questioned the 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 further said that poor patients from states such as UP, Haryana and Rajasthan, where the scheme was implemented, visited Delhi hospitals for surgeries.

"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," he asserted.

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

"If you own a refrigerator, a motorcycle, or have an income above Rs 10,000, you cannot avail of Ayushman Bharat benefits," Singh argued.

He alleged the scheme was "one of the biggest scams in the BJP-led states" and called for an analysis of data from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to uncover the alleged fraud.