Sabarimala gold plating row: Opposition disrupts Assembly again, demands minister's resignation
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): Opposition MLAs in Kerala disrupted Assembly proceedings for a second day on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of state Devaswom minister over alleged irregularities linked to the gold-clad copper plates at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple.
Though Speaker A N Shamseer initially tried to proceed with the question hour, ignoring the UDF MLAs' uproar, he later suspended it and temporarily stopped the session as the UDF members continued their sloganeering, raising banners and placards in front of his podium.
As soon as the session commenced and Speaker A N Shamseer came to his dais, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan stood up and raised the High Court's findings in connection with the alleged irregularities.
Stating that the judiciary's findings were "shocking", he said the gold covering of Dwarapalaka idols in Sabarimala had been sold at a high rate, according to the High Court.
Through this, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the temple body which manages the shrine, has not only disrupted the sanctity of Sabarimala Temple but also cheated lakhs of devotees of Lord Ayyappa, he alleged.
"Therefore, our strong demand is that the Devaswom Minister should resign and the TDB should be dissolved. And the government should announce the decision right now," Satheesan said.
However, Law Minister P Rajeev and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh vehemently criticised the opposition and alleged that their continuing protest was a drama.
"The government has already welcomed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe ordered by the High Court in this regard. The stand taken by the LoP is that he won't even accept the honourable court," he alleged.
The minister also alleged that the opposition were trying to disrupt the Assembly proceedings for their "narrow political gains". Rajesh also slammed the UDF over the protest and said they were scared of the judiciary, Assembly, debates and people and the protest in the House was "proof for that".
Though the Speaker repeatedly asked the agitating opposition MLAs to go back to their seats, they didn't heed. "The government is ready for a debate on the matter. The SIT has already been formed. Then why are you protesting?" Shamseer asked.
Later, he announced that the question hour was suspended and the session would be resumed after some time. The Assembly was adjourned on Monday also following opposition uproar in the Sabarimala row.
The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the formation of an SIT to investigate alleged irregularities related to the reduced weight of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala.
A bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar ordered the constitution of the SIT after the TDB Vigilance team submitted an interim report on its preliminary investigation into the matter.
The High Court had recently directed the TDB Vigilance to probe the reduced weight of the Dwarapalaka idols after they were sent to a Chennai-based firm for electroplating, a project sponsored by businessman Unnikrishnan Potty in 2019.
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Vijayendra slams Cong govt over alleged medicine shortage, irregularities in health dept
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday hit out at the Congress government over alleged medicine shortages, large-scale irregularities and disruption of services in the health department.
The situation had deteriorated to such an extent that doctors were forced to protest on the streets, he claimed.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the Siddaramaiah-led government lacked the will to resolve pressing public issues and accused it of indulging in "blame politics" instead of governance.
"Due to the irresponsibility of this Congress government, the health department itself is in the ICU. There is a severe shortage of medicines in government hospitals. The 108 ambulance services are facing severe problems. Doctors have been pushed to the streets to protest. The Congress government celebrates 1,000 days in power with achievement conventions, but it has failed to solve real problems," he said.
He criticised the state government for allegedly shutting down Jan Aushadhi centres located on government hospital premises, claiming that needy patients are suffering as they are not getting medicines.
"For the past two months, government doctors themselves have been advising poor patients to buy medicines from private pharmacies because medicines are unavailable in hospitals," he alleged.
Vijayendra further alleged that the state government has reportedly not cleared Rs 143 crore in dues to institutions providing CT scan and MRI services.
"As a result, needy patients in rural and urban areas are unable to access these services. Pregnant women are facing hardships. Doctors are forced to protest on the streets...This government claims to be one that delivers on its promises. But does it have even the slightest concern for how poor people are struggling in the healthcare sector," he alleged.
The BJP state president claimed that the Congress government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and its deputy D K Shivakumar is not pro-poor; instead, it is a government that supports middlemen.
"Who is responsible for the medicine shortage in government hospitals and medical colleges? The state government and the concerned ministers are responsible. According to information available to me, under pressure from influential individuals, irregularities are taking place in medicine procurement. Instead of purchasing medicines through authorised central and state agencies, the government has moved to fragmented district- and taluk-level tenders," he claimed.
He further alleged that due to commission demands of 15-20 per cent, many companies and public enterprises are not participating in tenders, worsening the system.
Vijayendra claimed that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation's procurement system has been sidelined, leading to an artificial shortage of medicines.
He also alleged that a private individual from Mangaluru is controlling the state's medicine procurement system, supplying medicines to most government hospitals.
"This has led to market prices being inflated. Medicines costing Rs 100 are reportedly being purchased for Rs 300. I will provide more documents and evidence in the coming days," he claimed.
He also alleged that staff associated with the 108 ambulance services have not been paid salaries for the past eight to nine months.
"The government must take responsibility and reform the system instead of protecting middlemen," he added.
