Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s doctor son Yathindra has quit from Matrix Imaging Solutions India Private limited, a firm that was given the contract to set up a lab and diagnostic facility at a Government-run hospital in Bengaluru.
Yathindra said in a message to the media, “By the way, I am quitting Matrix (Imaging Solutions India).” The resignation comes amid reports that the Congress High Command was unhappy with the development, which was snowballing into a major controversy, with the Opposition questioning the contract to the company owned by Yathindra’s friend, a pathologist, in which he is a partner.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, had openly said on Thursday that he had suggested to Siddaramaiah that his son quit the company.
Unfazed by the controversy, both Siddaramaiah and Yathindra had been maintaining that there was no wrongdoing on their part. Yathindra had alleged that a group of doctors at Government-run Victoria Hospital, where the facility was to come up, were raking up the controversy as it would cause a loss to those who were sending the patients for outside reference to get commission in cash.
He had also maintained that his company did not put any pressure on hospital authorities to follow procedures that suited them in order to win the contract. Siddaramaiah had said that his son was a doctor who was a director in a company owned by his friend. “They had participated in the tender. They are the lowest bidder. It is for service to the people, there is no money involved from the Government,” he had said.
It is coincidental that just after lingayat strongman Yeddyurappa has taken over the mantle as chief of the party Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is in a major row over his pathologist son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s private company for setting up superspecialty lab and Diagnostic Center at Government run Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
According to the major opposition BJP this issue raises questions of propriety and conflict of interest and demanded probe in to the episode.
Chief Minister who has come under fire for his son being permitted to set up lab and diagnostic facility at Government-run hospitals in alleged violation code of conduct for Ministers. But Siddaramaiah justified this and denied any wrong doing in the entire episode.
Opposition leader in the legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar of the BJP alleged that “awarding tender to his son partnered company shows Siddaramaiah’s love towards his son. Entire tender process should be cancelled and let him make a statement to remove doubts in the minds of public in this regard.”