Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed regret for not being able to offer free hospital care under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to senior citizens aged 70 and above in West Bengal and Delhi, attributing the gap to what he described as the states’ “political self-interest.” Modi’s comments drew a sharp response from leaders of the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who disputed his claims.
“I apologize to the elderly in Bengal and Delhi,” Modi stated, highlighting the Centre’s recent decision to expand Ayushman Bharat, providing up to ₹5 lakh per year in health coverage for those aged 70 and older across the nation. However, he noted that residents of Bengal and Delhi would be left out as their state governments had opted out of the scheme.
Modi underscored the challenges many families face when serious illness strikes, saying, “There was a time when families had to sell houses, jewellery, or land for treatment. Poor households often had to make difficult choices between healthcare and other needs.” The Ayushman Bharat scheme, launched in 2018, aims to ease these financial burdens by offering eligible citizens free treatment in government and empanelled private hospitals.
While inaugurating several health initiatives, including an advanced cardiac catheterization lab for AIIMS Kalyani, Modi elaborated that all elderly beneficiaries under the scheme would receive an Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card, giving them access to necessary medical treatments and reducing their out-of-pocket expenses.
Yet Modi voiced frustration that the elderly in Bengal and Delhi could not benefit from Ayushman Bharat due to state policies. “For their political self-interest, they are oppressing their own ailing elderly,” he said.
In response, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien contended that the Ayushman Bharat scheme had drawn inspiration from Bengal’s Swasthya Sathi initiative, which predates it by two years. “Swasthya Sathi is 100 percent paperless and cashless, covers all pre-existing diseases, has no family size cap, and includes both spouses’ parents,” O’Brien pointed out.
Adding to the rebuttal, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh emphasized that Swasthya Sathi, initiated under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, already covers all families in Bengal. He questioned the relevance of Modi’s remarks, noting that “the Prime Minister failed to mention the specific eligibility criteria and regulations under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.”
AAP also criticized Modi’s remarks, with leaders asserting that the Prime Minister’s statements were “politically motivated” following electoral losses in both Bengal and Delhi.