AAP leaders leave Raj Niwas after spending six hours there, Wednesday. Tashi Tobgyal
The idea of mohalla clinics, for AAP, is not just a vital part of the capital’s primary healthcare. In them, the party also sees promise of a different kind of governance, which explains why it has made repeated references to the clinics during election campaigns in Delhi, Goa and Punjab.
The reality, though, is that ahead of monsoons this year, no new clinics have been built. “Last year, during dengue outbreak, mohalla clinics played an important role. Normally, it takes two-four months to build these clinics. Had the LG given approval in time, 500 new clinics could have been built by October — the peak time for vector-borne diseases,” claimed AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj.
AAP alleges that the opposition and the LG are “bent on stalling opening of new clinics”, and has, in an article on its website, asked: “Even if opposition parties have registered their complaints against some clinics, does it mean Delhi’s residents should be denied primary affordable healthcare?”
While Kejriwal did not accompany the 43MLAs to the LG’s office, he did voice his concerns on Twitter after months of avoiding confrontation. Some leaders chose to link the emboldened stand to the recent win in Bawana. While Bhardwaj maintained that the appointment with the LG had been sought days before the bypoll, an AAP leader said, “The AAP’s victory has put BJP on the backfoot. The juggernaut in Delhi has come to a stop and the party should capitalise.”
The opposition, however, does not share AAP’s enthusiasm on the clinics. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, on the basis of whose complaint the file was sent back by the LG on July 5, alleged that the clinics were a “big scam”. He maintained that the party had conducted a survey of the clinics and found they were “benefitting party leaders”. He wrote on Twitter, “A big scam to benefit only AAP leaders with rental income & flawed policy.”
Leader of opposition, BJP’s Vijender Gupta, said, “Kejriwal is blackmailing the LG and his party is behaving like goons. They are blaming the LG for their own failure.”
