Bill on retirement age of AIIMS Directors rocks LS

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Thursday witnessed angry exchanges between the opposition and ruling coalition members on a Bill seeking to limit the superannuation age of Directors of AIIMS and PGIMER at Chandigarh, a measure seen as an attempt to ease out Dr P Venugopal with whom Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has a running battle.
   
"The Health Minister is in a hurry. I had been watching the minister trying to make forays into AIIMS through direct action or by bills in the Parliament," BJP member Maneka Gandhi said during a debate on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill.
    
Denying the charge, Ramadoss, who piloted the Bill, said "we want AIIMS to be one of the best in the world. We want it to be like Johns Hopkins or Stanford University. This bill is not against any individual."

Not satisfied with the minister's assertion, opposition members stood on their feet with BJP's V K Malhotra criticising the government for introducing the Bill without referring it to the Standing Committee.
   
"It is under pressure from the minister that this is being done. If this is a move to destroy AIIMS, then we severely condemn it," he said.

Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs minister P R Dasmunsi said no rule was violated while introducing the Bill. "The Bill was okayed by the Business Advisory Committee. However, the Speaker is authorised to take a view on the matter," he said.