Ludhiana: Did Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary die of negligence?
His son Vikramjit Chaudhary, the Phillaur MLA, certainly thinks so.
Santokh Singh suffered a cardiac arrest while walking alongside Rahul Gandhi in Punjab’s Phillauri in the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday morning.
As the Jalandhar MP felt unwell, he was taken to Phagwara’s Virk hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
“The doctors in the ambulance told us to move aside and to let them do their job. My father was not administered any emergency shock treatment. The doctors were panicking,” Vikramjit claimed, adding that his 76-year-old father was healthy and only had cataract surgery.
Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said Santokh Singh had no previous ailment, and would get his check-up done every three months.
The political blame game has started, with the Opposition saying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government was responsible for the Congress MP’s sudden demise.
“Santokh Singh Chaudhary could have been saved had he been administered medical aid in time. There were no proper arrangements to provide passage to the ambulance that was following Rahul Gandhi and this responsibility rested with Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann,” said former Cabinet minister and senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia.
