Naveen Patnaik did not implement Ayushman Bharat out of ego: JP Nadda launches sharp attack

In a sharp attack on former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, BJP national president JP Nadda on  Friday alleged that Patnaik’s refusal to implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana was driven by personal ego, which ultimately cost the BJD government its public support.

While addressing a mega launching of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Cuttack, Nadda reminded the people that Ayushman Bharat, a flagship health insurance scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 in Ranchi, was designed to provide free medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh per family annually. Despite repeated requests, Naveen Patnaik allegedly refused to implement the scheme in Odisha.

Also Read: JP Nadda launches Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in Odisha; targets 1.3 Crore families with enhanced coverage

"We requested him many times. I even asked senior BJP leader Jual Oram to speak to him. But Naveen Babu didn’t listen — not to us, not even to the people of Odisha. His ego prevented him from bringing such a life-saving scheme to the state," said Nadda.

According to JP Nadda, Odisha was one of only three states — along with Delhi and West Bengal — that had refused to implement the scheme at the time. Nadda claimed that the people saw through this and responded in the most democratic way possible- “They made him sit at home, and gave us the mandate.”

Now that the BJP has formed the government in Odisha, Ayushman Bharat has finally been implemented in the state, Nadda announced, claiming this as a major victory for the people of the state.

Taking a dig at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Nadda said: “We had also requested Kejriwal to implement the scheme in Delhi. But he ignored it. Today, the people have given their answer — we have our government in Delhi too.”

Warning For West Bengal

The senior BJP leader JP Nadda ended with a warning for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the time has come for the lotus (BJP symbol) to bloom there as well. He said, “We will ensure Ayushman Bharat reaches West Bengal too. No state should be denied access to better healthcare due to political arrogance.”

Nadda’s remarks underscore the BJP’s renewed focus on welfare delivery and central schemes as tools for electoral mobilization in states where opposition parties have historically resisted direct implementation of Union government programs.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha. He also launched the Ayushman Vaya-Vandana Yojana, and the state-run Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY) in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy CMs- Pravati Parida, KV Singh Deo, BJP National Vice-President Baijayant Panda and other leaders of the party at a special function held at Cuttack on Friday.

“It is a historic day for the people of Odisha. Prior to the elections, BJP had promised Ayushman Bharat implementation and the newly formed Odisha government has kept its promise. The scheme is one of the biggest health schemes in the world. This is not an insurance rather an assurance scheme which means that no insurance company can decide whether a patient will get medicine and treatment or not. This will be decided by doctors from 30,000 hospitals. It is due to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the scheme is being implemented in Odisha,” said Nadda.

Women will get additional health coverage of Rs 5 lakh. Around 61 crore people, including ASHA workers and others, were included under the scheme. When PM Modi assumed office for the third term, Rs 5 lakh health cover was extended to people above 70 years of age as well.

In Odisha, over 3 crore people have been connected with the Ayushman Bharat scheme. In the last 7 years, 8.90 crore people have got treatment in the country. However, the people of Odisha were earlier deprived of the implementation of the scheme. 

Many people from Odisha are working in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and other states. Now they can also avail treatment through the scheme in any part of the country. Out-of-the-pocket expenditure has reduced considerably and we want to bring it down further. This is just the beginning and we want to ensure that people of Odisha get maximum benefit, he added.

Meanwhilem, no response has been received from BJD over JP Nadda's statements in Cuttack.