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| Something is "wrong" with this contractor-turned-minister | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 12: Something seems to be "wrong" with this contractor-turned-politician who left Congress a few days before the state polls, won on BJP ticket from Basohli and then became a health minister, the portfolio he held earlier too. During his previous tenure also, he faced several allegations of misconduct with doctors. The latest being his "misbehaviour" with a lady doctor. Taking a serious note of it, Citizens' Forum has shot a letter to prime minister Narender Modi but he is unlikely to take any notice of it as in the Haji Yousaf death case also, involving ex-chief minister Omar Abdullah, he had preferred not to say anything.
Lal Singh, who worked as a contractor at Kathua, jumped into the political arena with the help of Gulchain Singh Charak when Congress (Tewari) was launched. Contesting on the Congress (T) ticket, he won from Basohli. He became a Congress minister when his party later merged with Congress. He continued to be a Congress minister till he embraced Saffron Brigade a few months back. Having been cornered in Congress, he had somehow managed to join BJP and then become a health minister in the present Mufti-led government despite the fact that he had demeaned prime minister Narendra Modi by his highly objectionable remarks. A day or before the BJP ticket from Basohli was announced in his favour, he was seen with state BJP president and MP Jugal Kishore at Ashoka Hotel.
Because of his "off-the-cuff", "tongue-in-cheek" remarks, controversies follow him wherever he goes. Only yesterday, he landed in a major controversy by allegedly misbehaving with Dr Gurmeet Kour, registrar of the state-run hospital for psychiatry diseases.
The doctor has lodged a written complaint against the minister with Bakshi Nagar police station. "The matter is referred to the legal cell since, in my opinion, no case could be made out against the minister going by the contents of the complaint," police sources said.
In her complaint, the doctor alleged that the minister walked up to her and asked why she was not wearing an apron. She claimed that on being told it was not required at a function, and that psychiatrists globally do not wear it, the minister started shouting and snapped his fingers, asking her to leave.
Lal Singh, however, claimed that it was an attempt to prevent him from bringing an improvement in the health facilities in J&K.
Annoyed over Lal Singh's behavior with the lady doctor, Citizens' Forum has shot a letter to the prime minister, seeking his removal.
Describing his act towards a senior lady doctor as 'obnoxious', Citizens' Forum Jammu president R K Chadha has written a letter to the prime minister wherein he has condemned the alleged attitude of the minister and appealed that he should instruct his party members in Jammu to replace the minister, according to a forum handout.
In the letter addressed to Modi and sent to him through MoS in PMO, Jitendra Singh, Chadha stated that "Citizens' Forum strongly condemn the obnoxious attitude of the minister towards the senior lady doctor in Jammu on flimsy grounds. This shows the arrogant behaviour of the person who has been entrusted with a ministry beyond his comprehension and adequate knowledge. Where Prime Minister is advocating respect for ladies and daughters of India, this man is abusing them with high headedness and total absurd arguments."
The letter also states, "The Citizen's Forum was the first to suggest and advocate an alliance between PDP and BJP. Seeing the stuff provided by the BJP to govern the state, we feel ashamed now. Doctors are not petty contractors or labourers the way he is treating them."
"We request Modi to appoint ministers as per their qualifications and technical expertise for the ministry concerned. At least medical, education and sports be entrusted to the persons who know the subject," the letter says.
The forum has written to the prime minister surely because of its concern for the womenfolk but the latter is unlikely to take any note of it as he had also not taken any notice of an appeal of a probe and registration of a case in the Haji Yousaf death case.
On December 7 last year, the family of NC worker Haji Yousuf had appealed to the prime minister for registration of a case against Omar Abdullah.
"We pin our hopes on Modi. We request him to personally intervene in the matter and direct police to register an FIR against Omar and his close confidants," Yousuf's brother, Haji Muhammad Hussain, had told a press conference in Srinagar.
Yousuf's his son Talib Hussain had alleged that his father was "tortured and put to death by Omar and his close confidants like Nasir Aslam Wani, Davinder Singh Rana and his security officer".
"It is irony that till yesterday Omar was terming my father's death as natural and now he himself revealed that he (Yousuf) had died in custody," he added.
"Yousaf's death case is very serious and deserves to be probed by CBI," a senior state functionary said and added that the lady doctor's alleged humiliation in public also "calls for the registration of a police case against Lal Singh". |
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