AAP Launches Scathing Attack on Delhi LG Over Asha Kiran Deaths

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accuses LG VK Saxena of shielding corrupt officers linked to deaths in Asha Kiran Shelter Home. LG Saxena counters, pointing blame at Chief Minister and AAP's governance failures.

Health Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has launched a fierce critique against Delhi Lieutenant General VK Saxena over the deaths at Asha Kiran Shelter Home, accusing the LG's office of lying and protecting corrupt officials. Bharadwaj questioned why an officer previously suspended by the CBI had been appointed by the LG to the Social Welfare Department and as the administrator of Asha Kiran. 'The LG office is constantly lying, this is very unfortunate... I challenge him (LG) to show the file in which a minister appointed him... The LG is trying to save the officers who committed corruption,' Bharadwaj stated while speaking to ANI.

In response, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena asserted that decisions regarding appointments, postings, and transfers are made by the National Capital Civil Service Authority, led by the Chief Minister. The Raj Niwas' official statement criticized AAP's governance, suggesting that the system is failing, which has led Minister Bharadwaj to seek excuses. 'Ten years of misgovernance, disguised by advertisements and propaganda, have begun to implode,' noted the statement.

The controversy has been further fueled by a series of allegations against AAP's health administration, including issues of fraud in Mohalla clinics and inflated tenders for hospital construction. An official report revealed that 25 deaths were recorded at Asha Kiran Shelter Home since February 2024, with the highest number of 14 deaths occurring in July alone. The report detailed that the deaths included six males and eight females.

(With inputs from agencies.)