Nadda to launch BJP's 'Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra' in poll-bound Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will flag off the nine-day state-wide Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra from Vijayapura in poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday, the party said.
With Assembly elections due in the state in about four months, the BJP has intensified its poll campaign by launching the nine-day public outreach programme from Vijayapura.
The campaign is being launched two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Yadgir and Kalaburagi where he kickstarted irrigation, drinking water and highway projects and distribution of Hakku Patras (land title deeds) to the nomadic tribe Lambanis.
Nadda will reach Kalaburagi by a special flight on Saturday morning and reach the Gnana Yogashrama at Vijayapura and offer tributes to Sri Siddheshwara Mahaswamiji, who passed away recently, the state BJP media cell in-charge Karunakara Khasle said in a statement.
The BJP president will then proceed to Nagathana Assembly constituency to flag off the Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra, which will go on till January 29.
According to party sources, the Yatra will involve door-to-door campaign and BJP membership drive and strengthen the party base at the booth level.
During the state-wide programme for the next nine days, which will kickstart from Vijayapura, the BJP intends to enroll over one crore new party workers.
"Our party has 39 electoral districts in 312 Mandals across 224 constituencies. There are 58,186 booths spread in Karnataka. This Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra will be launched at a time across the state," the BJP state general secretary and former MLC Siddaraju told PTI.
The BJP's campaign involves five programmes door-to-door campaign to reach out to two crore people, wall painting with the permission of house-owners, digital wall painting, membership drive and interaction with beneficiaries, he explained.
According to Siddaraju, the door-to-door campaign will also involve pasting stickers on houses and vehicles with the permission of the owner.
The members of the family will be encouraged to become BJP members by giving a missed call to the party's dedicated phone number, he added.
At most places, the party will organise an interaction with beneficiaries of various government schemes.
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Woman's death: Under fire Pune-based Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital announces 'no deposit' policy
Pune (PTI) The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Maharashtra's Pune city, under fire for allegedly turning away a pregnant woman over non-payment of Rs 10 lakh as advance for treatment, on Saturday announced it would no longer be taking deposits from patients at the emergency department.
The woman, wife of the personal secretary of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, had to be shifted to another hospital where she died after delivering twins. The incident hit national headlines and evoked strong condemnation from leaders cutting across party lines as well as protests from citizens' groups.
In an open letter, the hospital's medical director Dr Dhananjay Kelkar said, "In the early years of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, we never took a deposit. But as the number of critical cases increased and the cost of complex treatments rose, the hospital began taking deposits in certain high-cost cases."
"However, in light of yesterday's events, we have re-evaluated this practice and passed a resolution that the hospital will no longer take any deposit from patients entering through the Emergency Department, including emergency deliveries and paediatric emergencies. This will be implemented with immediate effect," Dr Kelkar said in the letter.
ALSO READ: Woman died post delivery after Pune hospital refused admission over Rs 10 lakh deposit
He defended the hospital by reiterating that he had personally told the woman's kin to pay as per their ability and also offered all help, but they left with the patient without informing anyone.
While it is factually incorrect and unfair to hold the hospital directly responsible for the incident and the unfortunate death, the hospital is still investigating whether it showed adequate sensitivity towards the patient, Dr Kelkar added.
"I had myself told the woman's relatives to pay whatever amount they could as a deposit and assured them of complete support. However, they left the hospital with the patient without informing anyone," he stated.
Alluding to the protests at the hospital by various political parties on Friday, Dr Kelkar termed it as a "black day".
Without any regard for the hospital's legacy and services, a group participating in the morcha (protest) threw coins at the public relations officer, while some women activists allegedly barged into a hospital run by the parents of Dr. Sushrut Ghaisas and vandalized it.
Dr Ghaisas has been accused by the kin of the deceased woman seeking the deposit ahead of admission.
"Our heads hung in shame when some protestors blackened the names of Lata Mangeshkar and Deenanath Mangeshkar, all of this taking place in front of media cameras," Dr Kelkar said.
An internal inquiry report of the Mangeshkar Hospital had claimed on Friday that the allegations of denial of admission for non-payment of Rs 10 lakh were "misleading" and made "out of frustration" by her family.
The woman's pregnancy was in the high-risk category, and her two underweight foetuses of seven months, coupled with a history of an old ailment, required Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) treatment for at least two months, it said.
The treatment required Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and the family was advised that in case of lack of funds, they could admit the patient to the government-run Sassoon General Hospital for a complicated surgery, it added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the formation of an inquiry panel under the Pune-based Joint Commissioner of Charity to look into the incident.
