Congress MLA accuses J&K Health Minister of transferring doctors away from Muslim areas

JAMMU: A member of the opposition Congress accused the state Health Minister Chowdhary Lal Singh on Monday of pursuing a "communal agenda" by transferring doctors from the "Muslim dominated state".

"You are transferring doctors out of the Muslim dominated areas and appeasing your own people, we will not tolerate this," Congress member from Banihal, Vikar Rasool said in the state Assembly.

Rasool accused the minister of following RSS agenda and dividing the state on communal lines.

"The transfers of doctors out of the Muslim dominated areas is a conspiracy to create a wedge in the state. You are following the communal agenda of RSS," he said.

The house witnessed noisy scenes as BJP members stood on their benches and demanded an apology from the Congress member.

"This is a false allegation, which has no standing," BJP member Neelam Langeh said.

However, Rasool continued to attack the health minister saying that he was ignoring the Muslim dominated areas.

When the minister stood to answer the allegations by the Congress members, they both entered into a verbal duel.

The minister asserted that the transfers were done following all norms and they were not biased.

"Due replacement has been given (against) any transfers made," Lal Singh Said.

Later, while speaking to the media Vikar Rasool said, "this person has a communal mindset and he is harassing the Muslims of the area by following a Hindutva agenda. By transferring senior doctors out of Muslim dominated areas, he is following a communal agenda."

He said that if the staff at the Banihal hospital was not restored to its former strength, he along with the residents of his constituency would launch an agitation and would block the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.