New Delhi [India], August 7 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday protested inside the Delhi Assembly premises over the alleged Rs 650 crore health scam under the BJP government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Led by AAP Legislature Party Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha, the party's MLAs wore garlands made of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) packets, raised slogans against the BJP government, and demanded the resignation of the Health Minister.
They also questioned Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's "silence over the scam" and said that the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had registered an FIR in the case but the main accused had been allowed to flee the country.
During the protest, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha talking to ANI said that, "The Assembly session is being conducted without Question Hour, which means there is no accountability from the government. The BJP government has swallowed Rs 650 crore meant for medicines for the poor. ORS packets were procured at three to four times their actual price, and every piece of machinery purchased by the Health Department was bought at four to five times the normal cost."
Sanjeev Jha further noted that despite such a massive health scam, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta remains silent and the Health Minister has not been asked to resign, which clearly shows the government's involvement.
"If the CM does not seek the Health Minister's resignation, it will prove that the entire government is complicit in this corruption. The Laxmi Yojana is also a deception. So many conditions, including the 2,400-unit electricity consumption limit, have been imposed that needy women will not receive any financial assistance," he added.
After staging a protest outside the Legislative Assembly, AAP MLAs also raised questions inside the House about the alleged medical scam when the Assembly proceedings began.
The Speaker did not allow the issue to be raised in the House, and during the ensuing uproar, AAP MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Jarnail Singh were marshalled out. Later, as soon as the discussion on the Lakshmi Scheme began, the remaining AAP legislators walked out of the House.
Speaking to the media after the walkout, MLA Kuldeep Kumar said that, "such a massive medical scam has taken place in Delhi, yet this government does not even want to hear questions about it. They only want discussions on issues that praise their government."