THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Dec. 22: Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Rafia Naz on Monday sharply criticised Health Minister Irfan Ansari over his announcement to offer a ₹3 lakh per month job to a Bihar-based AYUSH doctor following the controversy surrounding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s remarks on removing the doctor’s veil.
Addressing a press conference here, Rafia Naz said that the Health Minister’s statement was politically motivated and violated constitutional norms and service rules. She said no minister has the authority to publicly announce jobs or fix salaries, adding that such declarations amount to misuse of office.
“Ministers Cannot Distribute Jobs at Will”
Rafia Naz said that every minister takes an oath under the Constitution, and recruitment can only be done through prescribed procedures. “Claiming to offer jobs with fixed salaries outside the system is not only misleading the public but also undermining the constitutional framework,” she said.
She added that such actions fall under misuse of official position as defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and demanded accountability from the Health Minister.
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Questions on Selective Compassion
The BJP spokesperson questioned why similar urgency was not shown in cases where citizens of Jharkhand lost their lives due to a lack of medical facilities. She asked whether families of children who died in road accidents or patients who died due to the non-availability of ambulances were offered similar support or employment.
Referring to earlier announcements by the Health Minister, she also demanded transparency on the promised compensation of ₹1 lakh, asking whether it had been paid and, if so, to whom.
Healthcare System “In Shambles”: BJP
Rafia Naz said the healthcare system in Jharkhand is in a state of collapse, particularly in rural and tribal areas. She alleged that ambulances are unavailable during emergencies, forcing people to carry patients on their shoulders from one hospital to another.
She cited incidents from Gumla, Simdega, Chaibasa, Ranchi, and other districts, claiming that patients and children have died due to delayed medical treatment. In some government hospitals, she alleged, surgeries are being conducted under torchlight due to a lack of basic infrastructure.
Budget vs Ground Reality
Questioning the functioning of the health department, Rafia Naz said Jharkhand has a health budget of over ₹7,427 crore, with an additional supplementary allocation of ₹729 crore. Despite this, she claimed that less than 10 per cent of the funds are effectively reaching the ground level.
She also raised concerns over reports of thalassemia patients allegedly receiving HIV-positive blood and pointed to raids on illegal cough syrup manufacturing units as evidence of regulatory failure.
Double Standards Alleged
Commenting on the broader social implications, Rafia Naz said that while the Health Minister speaks about providing jobs to Muslim AYUSH doctors, Muslim women practising yoga are being subjected to moral policing. She called this a dangerous double standard that threatens social harmony and goes against constitutional values.
“Jharkhand Needs Healthcare, Not Headlines”
Concluding her address, Rafia Naz said Jharkhand needs a sensitive, accountable, and efficient healthcare system. “The public wants hospitals, ambulances, doctors, and medicines—not reels, press statements, and headline-driven politics,” she said.
