Cong-led INDIA promises free OPD for middle-class, farmers in Noida, Gr Noida

Ahead of the polling in the Gautam Buddha Nagar parliamentary constituency on 26 April, INDI candidate, Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Mahendra Singh Nagar has said that if voted to power, the alliance will ensure four hours of free OPD in private hospitals in the constituency, which is not happening as of now in contravention to the lease agreement with the authorities.

In an appeal to the voters of the constituency today, Nagar – a joint candidate of the Congress, SP, and Aam Admi Party, said, “Noida authority gave land to private hospitals at cheaper rates so that OPD facility could be provided free of cost for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening to the patients belonging to the middle class and farming community. Ten percent beds were supposed to be free of cost while 15% were to be offered at half the price to the eligible sections of the society,” said Nagar.

“This arrangement has not been implemented. If voted to power, we will implement it,” Nagar said, adding that Noida land will be made freehold.

BJP sitting MP Mahesh Sharma is contesting from the seat for a third time aiming for a hat trick from the seat on the back of pro-people and pro-poor policies of the Modi government. Sharma courted controversy when he said at one of the rallies last week those who do not consider Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath as their own will not even consider their "father as their own".

Seen in the context of the raging “Kshatriya discontent” in UP against the BJP due to the misrepresentation of Thakurs (Rajput Community), the BJP immediately fielded Home Minister Rajnath Singh to hold rallies in the constituency in an attempt to pacify the ruffled nerves of the community.