‘Who’s a Delhiite?’: Chidambaram on Kejriwal’s Hospital Beds Move
Chidambaram also questioned whether Kejriwal took legal opinion before he made his announcement.
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Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram on Monday, 8 June, took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after his decision on hospitals, asking him to define exactly who is a Delhiite.
"Kejriwal says Delhi hospitals are only for Delhiites. Will he please tell us who is a Delhiite? If I live or work in Delhi, am I a Delhiite?" Chidambaram wrote on Twitter, a day after Kejriwal's announcement about reserving Delhi government hospitals and some private hospitals for residents of the national capital only.
The Congress leader also questioned whether Kejriwal took legal consultation before he made his announcement.
"I thought if a person had enrolled in Jan Arogya Yojana/Ayushman Bharat, he can seek treatment in any enlisted hospital, public or private, anywhere in India?" Chidambaram said.
During a press briefing, on Sunday, Kejriwal said, “By the end of the month of June, Delhi would need 15,000 beds... Over 90 percent people want Delhi hospitals to treat patients from the national capital during coronavirus pandemic... Delhi hospitals will be available for the people of Delhi only, while Central hospitals will remain open for all... If people from other cities come to Delhi for specific surgeries, they will be treated at private hospitals.”
Private hospitals will be reserved for Delhi residents, except those where special surgeries, like neurosurgery, are performed, he said, according to news agency ANI.
The national capital has recorded close to 29,000 coronavirus cases so far, including 812 deaths. The last few days have seen a daily rise of over 1,000 cases, with controversy also springing up about the availability of beds in hospitals.
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