Two days after Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad made a surprise inspection at a hospital, provoking the opposition BJP to question his locus standi for such a move, Bihar Health Minister and Mr. Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap on Tuesday came out to justify his father’s action.
“He is my father and he went to the hospital and observed many discrepancies there. He has issued directives (to take steps to improve the conditions) to us and we’ll abide by them after discussions with the officials,” Mr. Tej Pratap told media persons here.
He said people had given the leaders the mandate to work and “we’re working for them”. Earlier, Mr. Tej Pratap himself made a surprise visit to a government hospital in the Capital, expressing disappointment at the absence of doctors and lack of cleanliness in the premises.
Mr. Prasad’s surprise inspection was made at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) hospital, where he received feedback from patients regarding the facilities. He also met the doctors on duty. Director of the hospital, Dr N R Biswas, briefed Mr. Prasad on the ongoing development works at the hospital.
Mr. Prasad later told media persons that he had gone to meet a patient admitted to a private hospital in Raza Bazaar area and only visited the IGIMS while returning to assess its condition. He then apparently advised Mr. Tej Pratap to inspect government hospitals at regular intervals.
Following this, 40 nurses on contract services in the Patna Medical College and Hospitals (PMCH) came to meet Mr. Prasad on Monday, demanding regularisation of their jobs. However, Mr. Prasad reportedly refused to meet them.
Opposition BJP, however, seized the occasion to question Mr. Prasad’s credentials. “In what capacity did Lalu Prasad go to inspect the government-run hospital and give directions to officials and doctors?”, asked senior state BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.
‘Two power centres’
“Isn’t it proof enough that Bihar has two power centres? Nitish Kumar is the chief minister while Lalu Prasad is running the government,” he added.
Reacting to Mr. Tej Pratap’s defence of his father’s action, BJP MLA Nitin Navin asked, “For how long will Tej Pratap be his father’s pampered child? A father can give directions to his son in his home, not in hospitals in his son’s official capacity.”
Meanwhile, JD(U), an RJD ally in the ruling coalition in Bihar, came out in defence of Mr. Prasad. “Sushil Kumar Modi should also answer that in what capacity he went to inspect the Digha-Sonepur rail bridge and threatened officials during the Assembly polls”, said state JD(U) leader and spokesperson Sanjay Singh.