Ramdev's remarks: FORDA members begin 'black day' protest at Delhi hospitals
New Delhi: Upset over yoga guru Ramdev's remarks on allopathy, members of the Federation of Resident Doctors Associations (FORDA) launched a protest in Delhi on Tuesday as part of a nationwide stir, seeking an open apology from him or action against him, FORDA officials said.
Issuing a call for protest on May 29, FORDA had emphasised that healthcare services will not be hampered due to the stir.
"Our protest began this morning against the remarks made by Ramdev, who is not qualified to even speak on the discipline of allopathy. It had affected the morale of doctors, who are fighting day in and day out in the (COVID-19) pandemic. We demand an unconditional public apology from him or action against him under the Epidemic Diseases Act," a senior FORDA official said.
The RDAs that have already joined the stir are from Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, B R Ambedkar Hospital and more will join later in the day, he said.
"Many doctors are wearing black armbands or black ribbons to symbolise the protest," the FORDA official said, adding, "Doctors in other cities are also joining the stir."
While some doctors held placards bearing protest messages, others wearing PPE kit had "Black Day Protest" scribbled on the back of the medical gear.
In a statement issued on Saturday, FORDA India had said even after raising objections to the statements made by Ramdev, "no action has been taken yet. We are hereby declaring Nationwide #BlackDayProtest on 1st June, 2021 at workplace, without hampering healthcare services".
"We demand an unconditional open public apology from him or action against him under the relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897," the statement had said.
The FORDA has also alleged that Ramdev's remarks have added to the "vaccine hesitancy" among people.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is currently underway in the country. It started on January 16.
Ramdev was recently forced to withdraw a statement made in a viral video clip, in which he was heard questioning some of the medicines being used to treat the coronavirus infection and saying that "lakhs have died from taking allopathic medicines for COVID-19".
The remarks were met with vociferous protests, following which Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked him to withdraw the "extremely unfortunate" statement.
A day later, the yoga guru posed 25 questions to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in an "open letter" on his Twitter handle, asking if allopathy offered permanent relief from ailments.
His remarks had irked the medical fraternity, upsetting both the IMA and the Delhi Medical Association (DMA).
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
