RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, March 20: Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta’s bid to take corona incentives alongwith 60 secretariat staff today created a heated debate in the Jharkhand assembly.
This situation after independent legislator Saryu Roy participating in a debate on cut motion brought following demand by the health department of Rs 7040.90 crore for his expenditure in financial year 2023-24, pointed out how the health department is reluctant to reply to his question on the matter.
Roy said he raised the question during the Monsoon session but its reply has not come to him so far though the assembly secretary sent four reminders to the health department. He said that it was a matter of concern that the health minister who filed a defamation suit in the court and registered an FIR in the matter is not daring to reply to the matter on the floor of the house.
On which, health minister Gupta during his reply in the house dared Roy to prove the allegation. He promised to resign if he had taken even a single rupee as incentive. He told Roy not to consider himself as the only honest person. He said the legislator is not sure about the allegation as the latter sometimes says that the former had taken incentive and sometimes says the minister could not take money as the treasury was closed.
“You are not a judge. Sometimes you speak in favour of the government, sometimes you speak against the government. Our performance gives you pain. Whether we work for construction of a flyover or take up cleanliness work you always raised objections over it. Sarju Roy, keep your advice with you, we are not going to be afraid of you,” Gupta said.
Hearing the reply, Roy, who is a senior legislator of the house, reacted and presented the documents before the house supporting his allegation. He asked the minister why his department did not reply to his question if nothing wrong had happened. On which, the health minister said it was a matter of investigation how the legislator accessed the secret file of the health department.
Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto interfered many times during the debate but the health minister continued speaking in high pitch in the house.
Earlier, the minister had replied to Kanke MLA Samri Lal in the same pitch. Lal had raised the issue of mismanagement in RIMS during his speech saying even the casualty operation theatre of RIMS is not properly equipped and what made the minister inactive who claims to have given outstanding performance during the Covid time. He asked why files related to promotion of doctors are pending since March 3 2021 and why ambulances are lying unused at Namkum though various health centres are suffering without ambulances. He also pointed out non-use of ventilators provided by the prime minister.
Gupta retorted and asked Lal not to teach him a lesson of honesty and said ventilators sent by the PM at RIMS were not used as they were fluctuating. He made a mockery of Lal saying that the latter spoke as if he knows everything and doctors are fools.
During his speech Gupta also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it was open to all how the latter ignored the instruction of Atal Bihari Vajpayee of following Raj dharma when Gujarat was burning. He claimed that when bodies of Covid victims were left to flow in river Ganges, the Jharkhand government disposed of all the bodies with dignity.
The minister gave due respect to BJP legislator and former health minister Ram Chandra Chandravanshi during his speech though the latter had cornered the health department saying it did not fulfil its promise made last year.
Answers to the question of former health minister and BJP legislator Bhanu Pratap Shahi remained unanswered. Bhanu had pointed out the issue of limited manpower in the health department and said that this year’s budget is a copy of previous years with change in data figure and picture. He had pointed out the poor health facilities in the constituency where the health minister presented 150 paper cuttings.
