BJP slams appointment of Delhi minister's daughter

The BJP on Wednesday launched an offensive against Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, accusing him of nepotism as his daughter has been appointed as an adviser to the AAP government’s mohalla clinics project.

Demanding the cancellation of Soumya Jain’s appointment, city BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said that nepotism in appointments and corruption in administration had reached its climax under the Arvind Kejriwal government.

“The way in which the daughter of the Health Minister has been appointed as implementation adviser indicates that the decision of the government is not honest,” the BJP leader said.

Upadhyay also asked the Delhi government to reveal if Jain issued any public notice or gave opportunity to other eligible persons before appointing his daughter.

“Appointing his own daughter in his own department by any minister is irregularity under the administrative system,” he added.

Soumya, a 26-year-old architect, is using a room on Delhi Secretariat’s ninth floor.

‘Favour to AAP workers’

The BJP charged that the AAP workers are being favoured in other ways as well under this neighbourhood clinics project. “Mohalla clinics have been opened in the houses of party workers providing them means of income,” Upadhyay said.

The Delhi BJP has now asked the state government to publicly state if Soumya receives any remuneration.

Upadhyay alleged that Soumya also gets monthly payment for other projects of the Delhi Health Department. “According to our information, Soumya Jain gets monthly fees,” Upadhyay added.

The Delhi government has plans of setting up over 1,000 such clinics, aimed at providing better medical facilities to the weaker sections. It argues that the project would decrease crowds at government hospitals and increase their efficiency.