How Politicians Are Dumping Government Hospitals For Private Luxuries
A successful hotelier is making a roaring business but prefers to dine at a luxurious hotel close by for fear of risking his health if he ate at his hotel. This analogy can be applied to our leaders who are doing exactly the same as the hotelier. Several leaders including Chief Minister Yediyurappa and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah are now infected with the Coronavirus. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in quarantine. It is difficult for leaders who are in public life to escape the Coronavirus infection despite taking precautions. It is therefore inhuman to mock at them for getting infected as though it is a crime. Unlike humans, the coronavirus does not differentiate people on the basis of their social status or economic standing but considers everyone equal. Leaders seen in public life are more prone to getting infected; at the same time, it is not appropriate for political leaders to hide themselves at home wary of the virus. But what has attracted criticism are the developments that have followed.
Instead of choosing government hospitals to get quarantined, all the infected leaders have chosen private hospitals. It has been only in the recent past that private hospitals have opened their doors for quarantine purposes. As the epidemic can infect anyone, the demand has been to provide the same treatment for both the rich and the poor. The country will not be free of the Coronavirus if the rich recover from the disease and the poor remain infected. If the coronavirus gains entry to the households of the poor, it can easily infect the rich living close by. Many experts have already demanded that the treatment for the Coronavirus and the quarantine facilities should be the same for the rich and the poor. But by opting for private hospitals, our political leaders have proven that the treatment for the Coronavirus is different in government and private hospitals.
It was important that political leaders choose government hospitals for treatment not only to create awareness about the facilities in government hospitals but also to instill confidence among the people about the government hospitals. With the fear of political leaders choosing government facilities, government hospitals would have started clearing their mess and putting things in order. The act of ministers who repeatedly issue statements that ‘everything is fine in government hospitals but choose private hospitals for their treatment is similar to the analogy of the hotelier where the hotelier is indirectly accepting that the food in his hotel is not good.
After the onset of the Coronavirus, a situation has been created where people are not able to visit government hospitals to get treatment for other diseases. The media has been reporting that those infected with the Coronavirus and those with other diseases are forced to stay together in government hospitals. This mess in government hospitals is said to be the reason for the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. Such allegations gain credence when political leaders show their lack of confidence in government hospitals for their treatment. Some time ago, the judiciary had asked why government officials and people’s representatives can’t enroll their children in government schools. It is now an opportune time to ask the question more aggressively.
The quality of services in government institutions can be improved only if people’s representatives and government officials compulsorily use government schools and government hospitals. If it becomes inevitable that their children ought to study in government schools, politicians might pay attention to the state of the government schools. But our leaders don’t have the morality and ethics to send their children to schools that their governments run. Even teachers working in government schools hesitate to send their children to government schools and enroll them in private schools either openly or in secrecy. The only way that people’s representatives will pay any attention to government hospitals and government schools is when it is made inevitable for them to get treatment in government hospitals and also to enact a law to make children of their family study in government schools.
This could be beneficial in two ways. One, leaders will then pay attention to government hospitals and schools and the irregularities taking place in these institutions will reduce. This would also lead to rich politicians thinking twice before entering politics which would be the second benefit. When this happens, it could also lead to the opening of opportunities for those committed to the welfare of the country to enter the political arena. It appears that courts need to be approached to formulate relevant laws in this direction. If political leaders take exception to this, people should hit the streets and demand from their leaders answers to uncomfortable questions around their hesitation to avail themselves with government services.
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Appointment based on performance: K'taka BJP chief Vijayendra rubbishes "dynasty politics" charge
Bengaluru: Rubbishing criticism, especially from within the party, that he is a product of 'dynasty politics', Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said he has been appointed to the post based on his performance and commitment, and not just because he is the son of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa.
His primary objective as the party president is to consolidate BJP's base pan-Karnataka, he said as he also asserted that people want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third term, and no factors including Congress government's guarantee schemes will come in the way of this.
"I would have agreed with Eshwarappa or Yatnal's statements, if I had been appointed as the party President by Yediyurappa himself, but I'm president because of the decision of the national leadership, not by Yediyurappa," Vijayendra told PTI in an interview.
Responding to senior party leaders K S Eshwarappa and Basangouda Patil Yatnal's repeated attacks on him accusing him of being a product of "dynasty politics", he said, "So they have to understand this fact."
"Appointing me as the party president was decided six months after the assembly election (May 2023). Lot of thinking process has been undertaken before taking the decision." Vijayendra said his selection has got nothing to do with Yediyurappa.
"I'm proud to say that I'm the son of Yediyurappa. Today my party cadres are happy to see me as their president. I'm travelling across the state. If the party has appointed me it is based on my performance, my commitment towards the party in the last 12 years. I have not been elevated just because I'm the son of Yediyurappa. Everyone should understand this," he said, adding that when the central leadership has appointed him, repeatedly discussing this issue is not going to help the party.
Asked whether ensuring a BJP sweep in Lok Sabha polls is key to consolidating his position and to silence critics, Vijayendra said, his aim is not just limited to parliamentary elections or the next zilla panchayat elections.
"My main aim is to expand the party, and I will continue to do that."
"My mandate or instructions to me or my aim is to expand my party base in Karnataka. Because once upon a time it was a bastion for BJP among southern states, but for some reason, we have lost that space. So my primary objective or aim as the party president is to consolidate my party base pan-Karnataka, especially in the old Mysuru region and Hyderabad (Kalyana) Karnataka," he said.
Noting that for 30-40 years, Yediyurappa was an undisputed leader of Karnataka BJP and his reach cannot be matched, as he was a mass leader, Vijayendra responding to a question about party facing dearth of leaders said, quite naturally that nobody can fill in that space, and now is the time where young leadership has to be nurtured.
"That's the reason why the party has given me the opportunity. It is my duty to ensure that more and more (youngsters) come to the front and take lead in the party. I will ensure it at all the levels, it is a collective leadership."
"It is a new phase for state BJP, minus Yediyurappa's leadership, is a big challenge, it is a big task, we have to grow along with this," he added.
The state BJP chief said that the high command will decide on taking action against senior leader Eshwarappa, who has rebelled against the party and is contesting as independent candidate from Shimoga, against his brother B Y Raghavendra.
"Party workers are questioning Eshwarappa today. He is contesting in Shimoga because his son couldn't get a ticket from Haveri. Candidates for all the constituencies were decided by the national leadership based on performance of sitting MPs, opinion of 'Karyakartas' through NaMo app."
"Based on various parameters, high command has decided. It is not Vijayendra or Yediyurappa who have decided the candidates," he said.
"Raghavendra, who is a sitting MP, and is known for development, will win with a margin of over two lakh votes," he added.
Expressing happiness that all the differences within the party over candidate selection have been resolved and cadres are working for the official nominees, Vijayendra said, it is quite natural to have more aspirants when the party is bound to come back to power. "BJP had more than 6-8 aspirants in almost every Lok Sabha constituency. That is the amount of confidence people have in Modi's leadership."
To hide their failures Siddaramaiah is blaming the central government, he said. 'They accuse the central government of not releasing (drought relief) funds, but when there was floods during Yediyurapps's (as CM) term he did not wait for central funds, he paid from the state's exchequer (for immediate relief)."
"CM (Siddaramaiah) is doing injustice and insulting people of Karnataka."
"Everything is in black and white -- tax devolution, grants -- Karnataka has received. State government is in fact stalling the central projects fearing credit will go to Modi," he alleged.
