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Journalism of Courage
Union Minister of Health Mansukh Mandaviya, along with members of treasury benches, on Friday got into a heated exchange with DMK MPs in Lok Sabha over the Centre’s alleged crackdown on medical colleges with poor infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. Mandaviya alleged that DMK MPs were playing politics over the issue as the Centre had cracked down on some medical colleges running without proper infrastructure and faculty in the state.
According to ANI, the DMK MPs staged a walkout in protest against the minister’s reply on the matter.
The response came on a question from DMK MP T R Baalu during Question Hour. Baalu asked how many medical colleges had been started by the Centre without infrastructure and for how many medical colleges the Prime Minister had laid the foundation but they had not yet started functioning.
Responding to this, Mandaviya alleged that the DMK was playing politics. “Politics can happen on any issue. Here the question is more about Madurai AIIMS. In Madurai, AIIMS has already started. Only infrastructure is yet to be established but education has started. I wish to tell the people of Tamil Nadu that for no apparent reason, a political issue is being created,” the minister said.
Alleging that the DMK was giving wrong information to the state, Mandaviya said, “The infrastructure could not be established because the state did not allot land in time. Since it was a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded project and people from Japan could not visit for two years, things got delayed and the cost went up. For that, Rs 19 crore has been allocated. Everything has been informed to them, but if they want to do politics, there is no solution to that.”
As DMK MPs protested against the answer, Mandaviya went on, “The problem is emanating from the fact that I have taken action against people who are running medical colleges in Tamil Nadu with less infrastructure and faculty. It is a reaction to that. I will not let such medical colleges run. Action will be taken against people who run medical colleges without infrastructure.”
He added, “What Modiji says, he delivers. The work is on at Madurai, AIIMS, you must cooperate. A good medical college is being built at the cost of Rs 1,900 crore.”
During this, members from both treasury and opposition benches stood up and started shouting at each other. DMK members came to the well of the House to protest.
At this, Speaker Om Birla intervened. “The minister has said he will not let any medical college without infrastructure. It is the right thing. He spoke about it generally. The second issue that he has raised, I will look into it. I will make sure no allegations are made against anybody,” Birla said.
MP Baalu protested Mandaviya’s statement saying, “How can the minister threaten us that the noose around us will be tightened? Who is he?”
MP Dayanidhi Maran too said, “How can he blackmail us?” Despite Birla’s request to them to take their seats, the DMK MPs kept protesting.
Later, in response to another question, Mandaviya said, “There was a time when the state government would ask for a budget on healthcare from the Centre. Today, I have to ask state governments that the budget is available, please spend. For the first time, PM Narendra Modi has linked health to development. Health is not merely hospitals. If citizens are healthy, the society is healthy. And a healthy society can only build a prosperous nation.”
