By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 26, 2018: Congress president Rahul Gandhi came for a sharp attack from union minister Smriti Zubin Irani on Tuesday for the former’s fund-raising move for upgradation of a hospital in Rourkela.

Smriti described the Congress president’s move ass ironical because the latter has failed to ensure health services to his voters and citizens in his constituency of Amethi.

“Congress party’s claim that they are for development is ironical. The Congress President even failed to ensure health services for the voters and citizens of Amethi (the constituency of Gandhi),” Smriti told reporters here.

Rahul Gandhi had slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had failed to keep his promise of establishing a multi-specialty hospital in Rourkela. He said Muktikant Biswal, a resident of Muktikanta, walked 1,350 km to Delhi to remind the Prime Minister of his poll promise over establishment of a super specialty hospital announced in 2015.

Underlining that the Central government had announced the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the last budget, she hoped that the Odisha government would respond to the health needs of the people of the state and diligently ensure that the health scheme was implemented at the grassroots.

“I am hopeful that the state government in conjunction with the central government will respond to the health needs of people of Odisha and diligently and ensure the implementation of the scheme,” she remarked.

She was in city to attend the nation-wide campaign to mark Emergency as ‘black day. She said, as a representative of the BJP I have come to Odisha just to pay homage to each of them who sacrificed to protect democracy by opposing Emergency and went to jail.

“I have come here to pay tributes to 900 Satyagrahis and 300 MISA (The Maintenance of Internal Security Act) prisoners of Odisha for their sacrifices to protect democracy during the 1975 Emergency,” she said.

She named the prominent leaders including Dr Harekrushna Mahatab, Biju Patnaik, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Rabi Ray, Biswabhusan Harichandan and others.