New Delhi:
Clarifying on his recent 'Bihari patient' remark, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that his government has never denied medical treatment or education to anyone. “We're happy, if we can help needy people, give them treatment, and educate children, be it any citizen of country. We want educational & medical facilities like Delhi to be provided in rest of country as well,” Arvind Kejriwal said.
On Monday, Arvind Kejriwal stirred up a fresh controversy after he took a dig at Puvanchalis, especially people from Bihar, for coming to Delhi for free medical treatment. Kejriwal suggested that treatment to citizens living in Delhi gets delayed at the city's hospitals due to 'outsiders' coming for cheaper treatment.
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Kejriwal was heard saying that Delhi has enough hospitals for treating people in the city, but that there was a delay in treatment at hospitals as people from surrounding states come to the national capital for free or cheap treatment.
#WATCH Delhi CM: One person from Bihar buys a ticket to Delhi for Rs 500, returns after availing free treatment worth Rs 5 lakhs. While it makes us happy as they are people of our own country, but Delhi has its own capacity. How can Delhi serve people of entire country? (29.09) pic.twitter.com/qW1hvryPnK
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2019
"One person from Bihar buys a ticket to Delhi for Rs 500, returns after availing free treatment worth Rs 5 lakhs," Kejriwal said.
"While it makes us happy as they are people of our own country, but Delhi has its own capacity. How can Delhi serve people of the entire country?" the Delhi chief minister questioned.
BJP, on-the-other-hand, took to the streets to protest against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's remark that the influx of patients from other states was the reason behind long queues at government hospitals in the city.
The protestors including Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel gathered near the ITO carrying placards and raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Kejriwal. They tried to move towards Delhi Secretariat but were stopped by the police.
"Police did not allow us to move ahead. Kejriwal's remark hurts the feelings of Purvanchali people. He himself came to Delhi from Ghaziabad and Haryana. If he will say things like this then we will have to take to the streets. Our children also go to other states," said Goel.
Kejriwal has visited Bangalore for treatment in the past.
