Haryana Election results: INDIA bloc allies urge Congress to rethink poll strategy after loss
New Delhi: Following its defeat in the Haryana assembly elections, the Congress party's allies in the INDIA bloc have called for a review of its election strategy. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiv Sena-UBT, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) voiced concerns over the Congress’s approach, particularly as upcoming polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi draw near.
Despite initially trailing during the vote count, the BJP secured a significant victory, winning 48 out of 90 seats, while the Congress, expected to capitalize on anti-incumbency sentiments, managed only 37 seats.
AAP leaders criticised the Congress, warning against overconfidence. Arvind Kejriwal stated that the key takeaway from the results is to avoid complacency. Manish Sisodia added that although voters sought to unseat the BJP, the Congress's strategic flaws led to its poor performance.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi maintained that the Haryana results would not affect the Maharashtra elections but advised the Congress to refine its strategy. CPI general secretary D Raja urged the Congress to introspect and involve all INDIA bloc partners in shaping the strategy for the upcoming polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
With the Congress engaged in seat-sharing talks with Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray has pushed for clarity on the coalition's chief ministerial candidate. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasised adherence to 'coalition dharma' and stressed that alliance issues should be discussed internally, rather than through the media.
The Haryana election outcome has raised concerns within the opposition bloc as they prepare for crucial assembly elections in key states.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
