Amid the raising controversy between the Jharkhand Government and the BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, the Ministry of Health & Family Affairs postponed inauguration programme of the outpatient department (OPD) of AIIMS-Deoghar and its night shelter that was scheduled to take place on June 26.
On Thursday evening Economic Advisor of the Ministry Nilambuj Sharan shot a letter to the office of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Health Minister Banna Gupta informing that the inauguration has been postponed due unavoidable circumstances.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was scheduled to inaugurate the OPD of the newly constructed AIIMS through virtual mode. While Deoghar district administration had made all arrangements for the inauguration, it categorically denied Godda MP, who wanted to physically attend the programme. The district administration cited Covid 19 protocol stating that the window of participation in the programme through virtual mode is always open.
However, this could have been only a formal inauguration as the AIIMS-Deoghar had set-up an OPD at a community health centre that started working from mid of March this year. The OPD functions twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm.
But, the incident has added fuel to ongoing controversy between Godda MP and Jharkhand government. The denial cascaded into a controversy as the Godda MP launched an attack on chief minister Hemant Soren stating that he will ensure that the inauguration is postponed.
Jharkhand BJP too went hammer and tongs on the government for not inviting Dubey in the programme. Former chief minister and BJP senior Babulal Marandi shot a letter to the chief minister expressing surprise over the matter.
In a series of tweets, the MP, as if had dipped his tongue in vitriol, was quite harsh upon the chief minister and Deoghar DC Manjunath Bhajantri. Dubey confidently said that the union minister will not inaugurate OPD if he (Dubey) is not invited.
He even referred to Deoghar DC as an orderly of the chief minister asking him to mind his words. He alleged the chief minister had twice prevented the union health minister for the purpose of inaugurating the OPD of AIIMS. He further alleged that Deoghar DC had challenged AIIMS will remain forbidden for Godda MP and the local BJP MLA Narayan Das will be forbidden from AIIMS.
“AIIMS is a valuable gift of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of Jharkhand. But the Jharkhand government is playing politics. Now Dr Harsh Vardhan will personally visit Deoghar to inaugurate OPD once Covid 19 pandemic is controlled,” said the MP.
In the last one year the Godda MP and the JMM heading the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, have been at loggerhead on several issues thus hitting each other politically and personally.
Jharkhand was gifted with an AIIMS in the 2017-18 Union Budget. Dubey had lobbied for AIIMS in his constituency and the State government identified a 236.92-acre plot at Devipur in Deoghar to set up the hospital. In May 2018, the Union Cabinet approved about Rs 1,000 crore budget for the project after which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone. AIIMS-Deoghar campus began inducting MBBS students since 2019 and as many as 50 students were enrolled in the first batch whereas in 2020 as many as 62 students were admitted.
