BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has shot a missive to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya to lodge his objection if the health ministry desires to grant approval to a private medical college at Bolpur in West Bengal which is managed by Anubrata Mondal of Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Suvendu Adhikari said that Anubrata Mondal has been facing probes by various agencies for his alleged role in various scams, and therefore his private medical college should not be granted. Mondal is closely associated with Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari writes to Health Min Mansukh Mandaviya objecting approval of a new pvt medical college at Bolpur,West Bengal, states “college trust ‘SWADHIN’ is managed by TMC’s Anubrata Mondal,who is being probed by central agencies for his alleged role in various scams.” pic.twitter.com/Qsh2C2omaC
— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2021
The college named ‘Santiniketan Medical College’ established at Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal is managed by the trust named ‘SWADHIN’. Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly, who had defeated Mamata Banerjee, has requested the ministry to take note of objections to the approval of this new private medical college.
“The Trust, ‘SWADHIN’ is operated/managed by the infamous TMC leader Anubrata Mondal. He is unscrupulous and dishonest, and is being investigated by the central agencies for his alleged role in various scams such as cattle smuggling and illegal mining,” Suvendu Adhikari has claimed in his letter.
Adhikari further claimed that Anubrata Mondal is the main sponsor of the trust and he funds it with money earned from dubious and unaccounted sources. It may be noted that Suvendu Adhikari had quite a long stay in the TMC, and he might be aware of corruption allegedly flourishing under the nose of the Mamata Banerjee and Anubrata Mondal may be the one small fry.
“It is my apprehension that this Trust is a front; a façade to launder money. So, at the inception itself the proposed college, if approved, would be connected with such strains of impropriety that it would always remain under the lens of prying eyes searching for misconduct. Would any educational institution flourish under such circumstances? That too, a Medical College, that won’t only remain confined to imparting education, but also at the same time keep serving the society in the crucial matter of public health,” the letter reads.
Suvendu Adhikari claimed that he received information that representatives of the National Medical Commission (NMC) visited the proposed medical college on 6 September 2021. He raised serious doubts if the clear picture regarding the proposed college was revealed to them.
He claimed that an amount to the tune of Rs 100 crore has been spent to set-up this proposed medical college. He said that invested money is unaccounted, that can’t be traced back to its source and it could very well be generated out of extortion or illegal mining or cattle smuggling.
Suvendu Adhikari also alleged that the deed of the land of the proposed college has been forged and the proposed college violates the most stringent term, that it doesn’t have its own hospital.
“They have made a deal with the Bolpur Sub-Divisional Hospital. They have entered into an agreement of 33 years with them. This agreement, if put under scanner would reveal that it is erroneous and has only been made because of the political clout of Anubrata Mondal. He has wielded his political influence to get his way with the WB State Health Department,” he said.
He said that the West Bengal Medical Council granted NOC due to the political clout of Mondal.
He reminded that even the Bolpur Sub-Divisional Hospital does not have proper infrastructure as per NMC guidelines and also the proposed college doesn’t have the required number of permanent faculty because of the simple reason that the management didn’t feel it necessary to hire them in order to save cost.
