The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi, alleging that the BJP is deliberately dismantling the city’s healthcare system to privatize it. AAP also accused Chief Minister Rekha Gupta of repeatedly lying. Saurabh Bharadwaj, the Delhi state president of AAP, stated in a press conference that the current state of government hospitals in Delhi is the worst it has ever been, under the BJP’s eight-month rule.
He recalled a time when Arvind Kejriwal’s government provided free medicines and tests, and arrangements were made to send patients to private facilities for advanced procedures like MRI, CT scans, or surgeries if they weren’t available in government hospitals. However, Bharadwaj claimed that today, Delhi’s government hospitals and the central government’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital face shortages of medicines, tests, and surgeries, attributing this to the BJP’s plans to privatize healthcare services.
Bharadwaj further stated that the healthcare system is being ruined, leading to a decline in patients coming to Delhi for treatment. He suggested that the government is intentionally creating such a situation to facilitate privatization. He highlighted the persistent shortage of medicines in Delhi for months.
Bharadwaj added that the 80 crore budget for ‘Dat’ has been cut, reducing it to zero. He also discussed the ‘Farista Scheme’, and the challenges in procuring medicines.
On the topic of lowering the drinking age from 25 to 21, Bharadwaj noted the BJP’s policies in states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He pointed out that when liquor stores opened, they created an uproar, and yet, they are now aiming to implement similar policies in Delhi. He accused the Chief Minister of lying regularly and criticized her statements regarding the timing of Ramlila and other events. He also questioned how the BJP would address the pollution in the Yamuna River.