Bribe sought to reimburse medical bills: MP lawmaker

Strap: Says corruption rampant in MP

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Bhopal, March 5

Former Union Health Minister and senior BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh Satraj Singh today alleged that some officials at the state secretariat demanded bribe to reimburse his medical expenses.

“One of my aides recently went to Vallabh Bhawan (the secretariat) to get my medical bills reimbursed. He rang me up saying the officials there were demanding commission,” Singh said.

“I asked him to throw the file containing the bills there and come back,” the 78-year-old leader said. “What happened afterwards I do not know,” he added.

“If this is the situation of an MLA, what would be the plight of common people,” Singh said. “My medical reimbursement claim was of last month. I was treated at National Hospital here for a week from February 14,” he said.

“Money exchanging hands (at government offices) has become common. The situation has come to such a pass that people say take the money but do our work,” the MLA said. He added that the administration needs to be tightened up.

However, Madhya Pradesh Health Secretary Kavindra Kiyawat said MLAs send their bills for reimbursement to the Assembly secretariat and not to Vallabh Bhawan. “I don’t have any knowledge of the MLA’s allegations. The matter hasn’t come to our notice,” he said.

Singh, who was dropped from the state Cabinet last year, reportedly because of his age, added that he will not contest elections anymore. Madhya Pradesh would have Assembly polls by year-end. — PTI