Pathanamthitta (Kerala) | Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday clarified that the government was not opposed to free food being provided to patients and bystanders in state-run hospitals.
However, he said it objected to encroachment on hospital premises and to political activities carried out under the guise of food distribution.
The clarification came hours after the minister's remarks barring political activities and the distribution of food under party banners inside government hospitals triggered sharp criticism from the CPI(M) and the BJP.
In a statement issued later in the day, Muraleedharan said the controversy pertained specifically to the situation at Alappuzha Medical College and should not be interpreted as a general policy against providing food to patients.
He alleged that some organisations had "organisedly encroached" on space inside the medical college in the name of food distribution, which, he said, was unacceptable as it hindered the institution's development activities.
"The objection is to the encroachment of space, not to the distribution of food," the minister said.
He said the government was setting up a community kitchen at Alappuzha Medical College to ensure that all patients and their bystanders received food and sought the cooperation of all organisations for the initiative.
"There is no politics, religion or caste in food. The government's concern is that the poor should get food. It is not an issue of who provides it," Muraleedharan said.
Earlier in the day, while speaking to reporters here, the minister said authority inside hospitals rested with the Health Department and not with any political organisation.
He said no political party or organisation would be allowed to carry out activities inside hospital premises or distribute food under party banners or flags, adding that organisations willing to help could contribute through the proposed community kitchens.
The remarks drew strong criticism from the opposition CPI(M), with former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing the Congress-led UDF government of "dismantling" an existing humanitarian initiative instead of addressing people's problems.
In a statement, Vijayan questioned the rationale behind preventing the CPI(M)'s youth wing, the DYFI, from continuing its long-running free food distribution programme for patients and their bystanders in government hospitals, describing it as a model voluntary initiative carried out without political discrimination.
He alleged that the government was prioritising the denial of food to the needy while the state's health sector was grappling with serious administrative challenges.
Strongly criticising the minister's stand, the veteran said it was "strange" that a government, which was expected to solve people's problems, was instead trying to "dismantle" an existing solution.
Vijayan said the initiative had been carried out for years without any political, caste or religious discrimination and had become a model humanitarian service benefiting thousands of people seeking treatment.
He alleged that the government was rushing to stop the programme even before putting in place an effective alternative mechanism, and questioned the rationale behind the move.
Former minister P Rajeev said banning the distribution of free food on political grounds would prove counterproductive, while CPI(M) MLA P A Mohammed Riyas urged the minister to hold discussions with youth organisations, including the DYFI, and evolve a consensus.
Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim said no humane person could oppose the distribution of free food and asserted that the DYFI would continue the initiative.
Echoing the stand, DYFI state secretary and MLA V K Sanoj described the minister's announcement as "inhuman" and said the organisation would continue its 'Hridayapoorvam' food distribution programme until the government put in place a reliable alternative.
The BJP also criticised Muraleedharan's remarks.
Former state BJP president K Surendran questioned the government's decision to prevent voluntary organisations from distributing free food packets in hospitals.
He expressed scepticism over the proposed community kitchen model, arguing that a similar initiative had failed during the Covid-19-induced pandemic.
Muraleedharan had announced on Saturday that community kitchens would be established in government hospitals across the state to streamline the distribution of free meals.
Under the new system, organisations would be permitted to contribute only through the community kitchens and would not be allowed to distribute food inside hospital premises under their own banners, flags or political identities.
The announcement followed criticism by CPI(M) veteran G Sudhakaran over the display of banners and flags during food distribution at government hospitals.
