AAP Challenges Modi's Ayushman Bharat: A Healthcare Showdown

The Aam Aadmi Party escalates its criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman Bharat scheme. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj calls it a failed initiative, citing its restrictive criteria. AAP defends Delhi's free healthcare model, urging Modi to learn from it amid allegations of scams in the national scheme.

In a growing political storm, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched an intensified critique against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman Bharat scheme on Wednesday. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj labeled the central health insurance initiative as a 'failed' effort, drawing sharp lines between it and Delhi's free healthcare model.

Prime Minister Modi had earlier criticized the Delhi and West Bengal governments for not implementing the scheme, suggesting political motives hampered its rollout. Highlighting the state's alleged missed opportunity to aid the elderly, Modi's remarks sparked immediate backlash from the AAP, who pointed to the scheme's restrictive eligibility criteria as a major flaw.

AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar and national convenor Arvind Kejriwal echoed similar sentiments, referring to the scheme as riddled with scams, based on findings by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Kejriwal defended Delhi's healthcare, touting it as superior to Ayushman Bharat, and demanded a nationwide adoption of his model.

(With inputs from agencies.)