NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of neglecting public healthcare by keeping the newly built 1,470-bed government hospital in Shalimar Bagh non-operational.
AAP leaders alleged that the facility, constructed during the Arvind Kejriwal government’s tenure, remains unused despite being fully equipped, claiming the decision benefits private hospitals in the area. AAP Delhi State President and former Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the hospital was meant to provide free and quality treatment to lakhs of residents in North Delhi but has been left idle.
Sharing a video of the closed facility on social media, Bharadwaj questioned whether Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s administration intended to privatise government hospitals. He alleged that shutting down such institutions and reducing free medical services were steps toward promoting private healthcare interests.
AAP’s Municipal Councillor from Shalimar Bagh, Jalaj Chaudhary, who visited the hospital site, described it as a “world-class” facility featuring ventilators, ICU beds, and centralised air-conditioning. He claimed that the hospital, located adjacent to Max Hospital, was nearly ready for inauguration under Kejriwal’s government. According to him, the hospital’s non-operational status since the BJP came to power has deprived local residents of essential medical services.
Chaudhary further alleged that discussions were underway to hand the hospital over to private operators, comparing the situation to earlier attempts to transfer public healthcare facilities to corporate entities.
He also expressed concern that other newly constructed hospitals in Haiderpur and Badli remain closed and that over 100 mohalla clinics have been shut. AAP has demanded that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visit the hospital and clarify the government’s position on its operational status.
The party has linked the issue to the upcoming by-election in Shalimar Bagh, urging residents to press for the hospital’s opening. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, however, hit back, saying it has long been known that AAP leaders are “dealers of lies,” but on Saturday, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj proved he is not just a dealer but a “manufacturer of lies.”
Kapoor said, “The ‘Lie Manufacturer’ Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is describing a 1,470-bed hospital as a grand facility, is actually referring to a cluster of six small hospitals built in porta cabins during the Covid period by Arvind Kejriwal.”
He further questioned, “Was this a well-planned hospital project or just a temporary medical aid setup created during the Covid emergency? If, as Bharadwaj claims, a grand hospital was already ready, then why did his government not operationalise it between 2021 and 2024? Can a grand hospital really be built in porta cabins, as is the case here? Do these porta cabin structures have any operation theatres or specialised OPDs for different diseases?”
