AAP health card tableau at Punjab I-Day event sparks political row

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is facing allegations of staging a publicity stunt after a tableau at the state-level Independence Day event in Ferozepur showed elderly people dancing. The Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal accused the government of presenting health department employees as beneficiaries of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana who had undergone successful knee replacement surgeries, a claim the government denies. State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded the resignation of health minister Dr Balbir Singh.

The tableau, part of the August 15 celebrations attended by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, was meant to highlight the health scheme offering free coverage up to Rs 10 lakh. Ferozepur civil surgeon Dr Meenakshi Dhingra said the tableau was purely symbolic and did not feature actual patients. One participant, retired health department driver Suresh Kumar, said he and other retirees were simply asked by officials to perform.

AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia defended the government, saying no party had shown such concern for Punjab's people. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the incident was the 'real story' of AAP's governance model characterised by 'big claims, bigger publicity'.