BJP president Amit Shah Sunday said the Delhi's AAP government's move to stay out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme was a reflection of its "narrow" mentality.
He said BJP workers in Delhi will go to every household and inform people about the AAP's government's decision to opt out of the scheme.
"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's move to keep people away from the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana due to political selfishness and hatred is sad and condemnable. Poor people will not be able to take benefit of this due to AAP's narrow mentality. You have to answer people for this kind of politics," Shah tweeted.
Kejriwal claimed that Ayushman Bharat, the healthcare scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, is a public relation exercise which will prove to be another "jumla" (rhetoric).
The AAP termed the scheme "another white elephant in the making" and alleged that it covers only six lakh out of 50 lakh families in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)-Ayushman Bharat from here Sunday, and termed it a "game-changer initiative to serve the poor".
The health scheme would come into effect from today (Sunday), he said.
"PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat is the biggest government-sponsored healthcare scheme in the world. The number of beneficiaries is almost equal to the population of Canada, Mexico and the US taken together," Modi said.
In an apparent reference to the Congress, he said the previous governments had indulged in "vote-bank politics" without empowering the poor.
"We have been listening to the garibi hatao (get rid of poverty) slogan, but it was just an attempt to hoodwink the poor. If the (welfare) schemes were implemented, as promised, the poor in the country would have been better off today," the prime minister said.
The erstwhile government did not realise that the poor have self-respect and dignity, Modi claimed.
"I have seen and lived the life of a poor, so I know the importance of self-respect and dignity in their lives. I am trying my best to fulfill their dreams and protect their dignity. It is the BJP government that is focused on empowering them (poor people)," he said.
The magnitude of the Ayushman Bharat scheme could be gauged from the fact that more than 1,300 ailments are covered under it, including heart diseases, kidney and liver disorders and diabetes, the prime minister said.
The ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme aims to provide coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers.
The health scheme will set an example for countries across the world, Modi said.
"One does not need to register for the initiative. A health card would be provided to the beneficiaries for availing of the benefits. A toll-free number will also be made available to the people for finding out more about the scheme," he explained.
Modi also said 2,500 modern hospitals would come up in tier-II and tier-III cities and would generate employment opportunities.
"A total of 13,000 hospitals have become a part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Our government has taken a holistic approach to lay stress on affordable and preventive healthcare," he said.
