Ramadoss talks tough first, then quickly backs off

The campus was abuzz in the afternoon after a fresh order from the minister, turning down the director’s recommendation of making forensic head Dr T D Dogra the acting director while he proceeded on leave. In the evening, a senior official from the ministry reverted the order.

Before proceeding on what is seen as protest leave, Venugopal recommended that Dogra be the acting director. A faxed letter from the ministry, which reached AIIMS round 2 pm said Dr R C Deka and not Dogra would act as director in Venugopal’s absence.

Ramadoss, who was in Chennai, had told The Indian Express on phone, “There’s no need to have another acting dean in place of Dr Deka. He has been performing the duties since the director went on vacation from June 3, so why change him now.”

Venugopal had said yesterday that his recommendation of Dogra followed the rulebook, which says the seniormost faculty member should be made acting director.

The minister said these rules were made before the post of dean was created, and that the dean has always been made acting director. The final decision, he said, would be taken after his return from Chennai on Monday.

But sources said that late in the evening health secretary P K Hota called to say that no action should be taken on the order.

Meanwhile, Ramadoss said he had updated the prime minister of the situation at AIIMS and would meet him on Monday.

“Any decision to be taken will be only after the meeting,” he said.

Though the ball is in the prime minister’s court, sources say not much is expected out of the meeting. ‘‘The issue may be played as NDA versus UPA. Besides being an alliance member, Ramadoss has clout.

The prime minister might not want to go against him,’’ said a senior faculty member who did not want to be named. Students and teachers at AIIMS, however, were rallying around the director. Members of AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) said they would resign if Venugopal quits.

Some months back, the faculty association had blamed the “director’s autocratic rule” for resignation of some faculty members, but now, teachers were rallying behind him. They have expressed solidarity with him after he said he would resign from his post over three officials being removed from their posts in his absence by the health ministry.

The director had taken vacation from June 3-23 but had briefly resumed duty yesterday after these developments.