Don’t engage in politics, Saurabh Bhardwaj urges VK Saxena

New Delhi, April 5

Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday replied to L-G VK Saxena’s letter, which slammed the Delhi Government over the “lack” of consumables like cotton in state-run hospitals.

Bhardwaj, in his letter to the L-G, said only he (L-G) or the Ministry of Home Affairs can initiate a probe against the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary.

He said the Chief Secretary being part of the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) cannot adjudicate his own case.

The minister also invited Saxena to visit a few hospitals of the Delhi Government. He said in these hospitals, a majority of the patients come from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

He cited multiple news reports which claimed that the L-G had initiated inquiries. It’s nowhere mentioned that the Chief Minister-led NCCSA had ordered those inquiries, the letter said.

Bhardwaj requested Saxena not to engage in politics but to take appropriate action.

Posing six questions to the L-G, he said, ”Why are the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary misleading the government about the availability of medicines and consumables? Do they want to create a health crisis in Delhi? What will poor people do if they do not get free medicines and other health facilities in Delhi Government hospitals? Will this lead to the deterioration of health of poor patients and even deaths? Why is the L-G not saying even a word about the initiation of an inquiry against the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary? Will this long political letter by the L-G not lead to the patronising of the erring officers?”