Ayushman Bharat row: TMC rebuts BJP, calls scheme a ‘scam-riddled poison pill’
Kolkata: Soon after the BJP took a pot shot at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for not implementing Ayushman Bharat claiming that “because of ego of one person”, the people of Bengal are suffering, the ruling party in the state slammed the saffron party asking why Bengal would “swallow scam riddled” Ayushman Bharat “poison pill” when CAG audit of Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) flagged significant gaps, including beneficiary identification issues.
TMC also pointed out that Bengal has its own flagship health scheme Swasthya Sathi that delivers universal coverage to 8.72 crore people in Bengal and the Mamata Banerjee government has already spent Rs 13,156 crore for the scheme.
The BJP in a post on X wrote: “Because of the ego of one person, the people of West Bengal are suffering. Ayushman Bharat is a lifesaving health scheme that provides free treatment worth five lakh rupees across India. However, the people of West Bengal cannot avail this benefit because the scheme is not.”
TMC responded to BJP’s allegation on social media and asked: “Why on earth would Bengal ever swallow your scam-riddled Ayushman Bharat poison pill with its insulting 60:40 funding formula that forces states to bleed money for Delhi’s self-aggrandizement?”
The ruling party in the state also said that it is a national disgrace that restrictive eligibility criteria under the Ayushman Bharat shut out millions of the poor. It has seen rampant embezzlement of funds and endless delays in disbursal claim settlements “stuck in quicksand ghost treatments billed for dead people.
“Bengal doesn’t need your broken, corrupt trash. Our Maa-Mati-Manush Sarkaar’s fully state-funded Swasthya Sathi delivers universal coverage to 8.72 crore people across 2.45 crore families, with services worth ₹13,156 crore availed till 2025. We built a gold-standard health safety net with our own money, our own vision, and zero dependence on you Zamindars,” Trinamool Congress wrote on X.
Incidentally, the CAG audit of Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) flagged significant gaps. It pointed out that the same patient was admitted to multiple hospitals during the same hospitalisation period, and the number of patients admitted to hospitals exceeded their declared bed strength.
