The game of claims and counterclaims
The open sparring between chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Amritsar East MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu has seen them make claims and counterclaims. Sidhu, in a tweet on Saturday, said he has never asked anyone for any post. “Was invited and offered cabinet berths many times but I did not accept,” he claimed. The tweet was his response to Amarinder’s claim to the contrary in an interview to a private channel last month. “He (Sidhu) was trying to become the state president of the party…then he wanted to be the deputy chief minister with home portfolio,” the CM had stated, questioning his “demands”. The dissenting ex-minister, who has been hitting out at Amarinder on social media daily, is said to be counting on former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in his spat with the two-time CM who also seems confident that the Congress high command will listen to him on this issue. So far, there has been no evident intervention from the central leadership. leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema asking the state government to ensure that they are available free of cost to people in government and private hospitals. While it is free at government hospitals, there are wide differences in the prices that hospitals are charging for the shots across the state. If Fortis Hospital in Ludhiana is charging Rs 850 per dose Covidshield, another private hospital, Matsya Hospital, in Zirakpur has set a price of Rs 1,200 for one dose, according to the CO-WIN portal. Similarly, the rate specified by Fortis Mohali Hospital for a shot of Covaxin is Rs 1,250 whereas Amardeep Hospital in Amritsar is charging Rs 1,560 for one dose of this vaccine, showed the portal. “Vaccine is for public good. The state government should make it free for everyone and pay the private hospitals for vaccine doses administered by them,” the AAP leader said. party decides,” said Sandhu who won three elections from Tarn Taran.