‘Implement Delhi model all over India’: Arvind Kejriwal hits back at PM Narendra Modi’s criticism over Ayushman Bharat scheme | Delhi News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the Delhi government over not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme and said it was wrong of him to politicize public health issues.
Also Read: Ayushman Bharat impractical, can’t provide free healthcare to poor: AAP
“It is not right to speak wrongly on the issue of people’s health. It is not right to do politics on this,” said Arvind Kejriwal in a post on X.
Kejriwal’s remarks came after PM Modi criticized the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme out of “political interests.”
Notably, Delhi and West Bengal are among the states where the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojna is not implemented.
Kejriwal noted that many people in Delhi receive free medical treatment through the Delhi government’s healthcare scheme.
“Under the Delhi government’s scheme, every person living in Delhi gets complete treatment free of cost no matter how much it costs – from a pill worth five rupees to a treatment worth one crore,” stated Kejriwal on X.
He added that he could provide numerous examples of people who benefited from the Delhi scheme and questioned the effectiveness of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
Kejriwal went on to highlight reported ‘irregularities’ in the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, urging Narendra Modi to consider the Delhi model.
“I request you to study the Delhi model and instead of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, implement the Delhi model all over India so that people can benefit on the ground,” he suggested.
Earlier, PM Modi apologized to elderly residents over 70 in Delhi and West Bengal, blaming local political decisions for the non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Also Read: PM Modi slams AAP, TMC for not rolling out Ayushman cover
Modi said, “I apologize to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state government’s decisions, I cannot help you.”
He also mentioned that political barriers are preventing the elderly from receiving benefits, adding, “The walls of the political profession are preventing me from serving the elderly people of Delhi and West Bengal.”