A political row has erupted over the delayed completion of the Rajmata Devendra Kumari Singhdeo Government Medical College Hospital in Ambikapur. Finance minister OP Choudhary has blamed the project’s slow progress on the much-discussed rivalry between former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and former deputy chief minister TS Singhdeo, both of whom were once part of the Congress government.
Choudhary's Allegations
Referring to the former Congress leaders as the once-famous “Jai-Veeru” pair, Choudhary claimed that their differences prevented the hospital from being completed during the previous regime. He stated that the BJP government has now prioritised the project, sanctioned over Rs 100 crore, and directed agencies to expedite the remaining work. He emphasised that the state government is committed to completing the hospital, which is envisioned as north Chhattisgarh’s largest tertiary healthcare facility.
Singhdeo's Counterattack
TS Singhdeo hit back, accusing the BJP of deflecting attention from its own failure. He noted that the BJP has been in power for over two years and questioned why the project remains unfinished despite Choudhary being both finance minister and the district’s in-charge minister. Singhdeo argued that the medical college was established during the Congress tenure and postgraduate courses were introduced under its government. He asserted that the present administration cannot continue blaming its predecessor indefinitely.
The hospital, despite substantial expenditure, remains incomplete. The medical college continues to rely on the district hospital as its teaching facility. The delay has sparked a heated political exchange, with both parties trading accusations over responsibility for the stalled progress.
