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The ongoing feud between the central government and the Delhi government regarding the implementation of Ayushman Bharat, a nationwide health insurance scheme, reached a new peak on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, in a sharp rebuke aimed at AAP chief and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accused him of deliberately hindering the scheme's adoption in Delhi due to his fear of exposing the alleged flaws in his own health model. Saxena, in a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), dismissed Kejriwal's statements as baseless but felt compelled to respond due to the scheme's significance in providing healthcare access to millions of Indians.
Saxena alleged that Kejriwal's refusal to implement Ayushman Bharat stemmed from a desire to maintain the illusion of a successful health model in Delhi. He pointed to the Delhi government's own efforts in promoting its health insurance scheme and argued that Kejriwal wanted his name associated with the program, thus hindering the broader acceptance of the nationwide Ayushman Bharat scheme. The Delhi government, Saxena claimed, had even proposed renaming Ayushman Bharat to include Kejriwal's name, a move that the central government reluctantly agreed to, demonstrating their desire to avoid further political conflict. Despite this agreement, the implementation of the scheme never materialized, prompting Saxena to accuse Kejriwal of prioritizing his own image over the welfare of Delhi's residents.
Saxena further went on to criticize the Delhi health model, describing it as a 'web of illusion' built on propaganda and a deliberate suppression of critical information. He cited examples of the Delhi government's alleged failure to address CAG reports highlighting discrepancies in the health sector and the need for court intervention to ensure basic healthcare services like the availability of essential medicines and the functioning of critical equipment like CT scan machines. Saxena also pointed to the Delhi government's failure to update its 'Essential Drug List' since 2013, highlighting a lack of attention to the evolving needs of the population. He concluded his scathing attack by urging Kejriwal to set aside political motivations and prioritize the health of the people by implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Delhi.
Source: "You Feared...": Lt Governor's Attack On Arvind Kejriwal Over Ayushman Bharat