Lakshman Seth’s move to BJP only to get MCI nod: Experts

The joining of Lakshman Seth to BJP may ostensibly be an attempt by him to remain politically relevant but actually he is up to get clearance for iCare Institute of Medical Sciences and Research and Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Hospital in Haldia from Medical Council of India (MCI), political experts said.

In May- June, MCI did not give permission to Icare Institute because of lack of proper infrastructure.

The institute made an appeal before the Oversight Committee headed by Justice (Retd) RM Kodha which gave only conditional approval to admit students for 2016-17 academic year.

In 2011 Seth set up iCare Institute. MCI takes four and a half year to give final permission to private medical colleges.

Seth, the uncrowned king of Haldia joined BJP on Wednesday. Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president said that Seth was not involved in Nandigram carnage. Seth who was a CPI(M) MP from 1998-2009 was expelled from the party for his anti party activities.

He is the chairman of Haldia Institute of Technology and also set up Icare Institute. His wife Tamalika Panda Seth who died recently was a CPI(M) MLA. Seth formed Bharat Nirman Party which failed to make any mark in Bengal politics.

Meanwhile, Icare Institute received a major jolt when MCI refused to give its permission to run the private medical college because of poor infrastructure in May-June of this year. 

Political experts said as Seth lost his political contacts in Delhi after he was thrown out of CPI(M), he thought that it was only BJP that could help him to get clearance from MCI. Even the oversight committee gave conditional approval. So the students who took admission for 2016-17 academic session had to give a written declaration that the Institute would not be held responsible if the approval was not given.

Political experts said by using CPI(M), Seth had amassed enormous money and power and became the uncrowned king of Haldia. But to run two big educational institutional institutions he has to have close contacts with those in the corridors of power.

Initially, he tried to come close to Trinamool Congress but the party did not take him. “Now, he is with BJP in a bid to remain politically relevant and so that by using his BJP sources he is trying to manage to get MCI nod,” political experts pointed out.