New Delhi, March 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Health Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain on Friday opposed the BJP government’s proposal to shut down 250 Mohalla Clinics even as Delhi BJP described his statement as an attempt to cover up the previous government’s wrongdoings.
Jain’s claims came on a day when former Chief Minister Atishi wrote a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reminding her to launch the women’s Rs 2,500 monthly scheme on Saturday.
Jain claimed almost 75,000 patients are availing the facilities of Mohalla Clinics daily in the city and to allege that 250 clinics exist only papers is not right. “If these were non-existent, then what was the need to shut them down,” he said.
“Our only request is to not shut down Mohalla Clinics as this will amount to penalising the public,” he said.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva hit out at the former health minister, who is out on bail in a corruption case, claiming that it was surprising to see Jain, who had earlier claimed memory loss, appear in public to defend his tenure’s biggest scandal.
Sachdeva accused the previous Arvind Kejriwal government of renting private properties instead of using available government premises for these clinics and called this an act of corruption.
He expressed hope that just as Jain’s memory returned to defend the Mohalla Clinics, it would also return to admit the financial scams currently being investigated by the CBI and the ED.
Sachdeva alleged that corruption took place in every aspect of the Mohalla Clinic project — from renting premises to the doctors’ examination of patients and their medical tests.
He also pointed out that before the Kejriwal government, there were around 400 government dispensaries in Delhi, most of which were shut down to make way for the Mohalla Clinics — and these clinics became centres of major corruption.
Sachdeva claimed that properties owned by AAP supporters associated with ministers and MLAs were chosen for Mohalla Clinics, and they were paid rents far above market rates, leading to kickbacks.
The Delhi BJP President questioned why the government ignored the available government dispensaries and premises while opening these clinics.
He also asked Jain whether it was true that the rents paid for Mohalla Clinic spaces were higher than the prevailing market rates and whether he was ready for an investigation into this matter.
Sachdeva highlighted a CAG report, which had also raised questions on payments made for patient check-ups and tests at Mohalla Clinics, suggesting the need for an investigation.
On the women’s Rs 2,500 scheme, Sachdeva stated that the daily statements by AAP leaders and former Chief Minister Atishi regarding the yojana were a result of their political desperation.
He said that AAP leaders were aware that the two CAG reports that have surfaced were enough to ensure long jail terms for Kejriwal and his key associates.
In this situation, to distract the public attention from these corruption-related CAG reports, AAP leaders are resorting to dramatic and misleading statements about the Mahila Samman Yojana.
Sachdeva added that Atishi’s correspondence about the Mahila Samman Yojana is nothing but political posturing.
“If Atishi genuinely cares about women’s issues, she must explain why her party’s Punjab government, despite being in power for 37 months, has not yet disbursed the announced Mahila Samman amount,” he said.
Sachdeva emphasised that the BJP is fully committed to both women’s empowerment and the Mahila Samman Yojana, and both will be implemented soon.
Source: IANS
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