Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Jul 19 (PTI) Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said political activities, including the distribution of free food under party banners, would not be allowed inside government hospitals, triggering sharp reactions from the CPI(M) and the BJP.
The minister said the UDF government’s policy was to ensure that free food for patients and their attenders was distributed only through community kitchens to be set up in government hospitals.
“The authority inside hospitals rests with the Health Department, not with any political organisation. They can distribute food outside the hospital premises if they want, but inside, the government has the responsibility,” Muraleedharan told reporters here.
He said no political party or organisation would be allowed to carry out activities inside hospital premises and that food should not be distributed under party banners or flags.
“If organisations want to help, they can contribute to the community kitchens,” he said, adding that the scheme would be launched first in Alappuzha before being expanded to other government hospitals after consultations with voluntary organisations.
The minister’s remarks drew criticism from the opposition CPI(M) as well as the BJP.
Former minister P Rajeev said preventing the distribution of free food in hospitals in the name of politics would prove counterproductive for the government.
CPI(M) MLA P A Mohammed Riyas urged the minister to shed his “ego” over the issue and hold discussions with youth organisations, including the DYFI, to evolve a consensus.
He said providing food to people while following all norms was a humanitarian initiative and questioned why it was being viewed with hostility.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim also criticised the move, saying no humane person could oppose the distribution of free food, and asserted that the DYFI would continue the initiative.
Echoing the stand, DYFI state secretary and MLA V K Sanoj described the minister’s announcement as “inhuman” and said the organisation would continue its long-running ‘Hridayapoorvam’ food distribution programme in government hospitals until the government ensured a reliable and uninterrupted food supply through its own mechanism.
In a Facebook post, he said people would recognise any attempt to bring politics before the needs of the hungry.
The BJP also attacked the minister’s stand and expressed scepticism over the announcement of the proposed community kitchen initiative.
Former state BJP president K Surendran questioned why the government was preventing voluntary and youth organisations from distributing food packets in government hospitals.
In a Facebook post, he said there was no need to view such initiatives through a political lens and expressed scepticism over the success of the proposed community kitchen scheme, claiming a similar model had failed during the COVID-19 period.
He also said the Health Department should abandon its “ego” on the issue.
Muraleedharan had on Saturday announced that the government would establish community kitchens in government hospitals across the state to streamline the distribution of free food for patients and attenders.
He had also said voluntary organisations would no longer be allowed to distribute food inside hospital premises under their own banners, flags or political identities.
The announcement followed criticism by CPI(M) veteran and Ambalapuzha MLA G Sudhakaran over the practice of organisations displaying banners and flags while distributing food packets at government hospitals.
V Vaseef, the state president of the DYFI, had also said on Saturday that the organisation would continue distributing free food packets at government hospitals until it was officially directed to stop. PTI LGK ROH
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