Arvind Kejriwal hits back at PM over Ayushman Bharat, claims Delhi model better

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his remarks on the non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in Delhi and West Bengal. The 56-year-old AAP chief claimed that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India found several irregularities in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and questioned its effectiveness compared to Delhi’s healthcare model.
On Tuesday, PM Modi, during a speech at the All India Institute of Ayurveda, expressed disappointment over the exclusion of senior citizens from free healthcare in Delhi and Bengal, calling it a missed opportunity. In his speech, he apologised to the elderly citizens of the capital and Bengal.
“I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state governments’ decisions, I cannot help you,” the Prime Minister said.
Responding to PM Modi’s critique, Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X, argued that Delhi’s model offers comprehensive free healthcare for all, irrespective of treatment costs, unlike the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which he claims has restrictive criteria and is inadequately implemented.
“Under the Delhi government’s scheme, every person living in Delhi gets complete treatment free of cost no matter how much it costs – from a pill worth five rupees to a treatment worth one crore, the Delhi government provides complete treatment to every person free of cost. If you tell me, I will send you the names of lakhs of people who have benefited from this,” the former Delhi Chief Minister said.
He then questioned if people benefit from Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
“CAG found many irregularities in Ayushman Bharat Yojana. In the states where Ayushman Yojana is implemented, till date I have not met a single person who has been treated under Ayushman Bharat. I request you to study the Delhi model and instead of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, implement the Delhi model all over India so that people can benefit on the ground,” Kejriwal said.
The AAP also asserted that Ayushman Bharat is not serving the people effectively, with leaders alleging fraudulent practices. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that the scheme’s eligibility requirements disqualify many in need, including those who own basic amenities like refrigerators or motorcycles. Furthermore, he claimed that thousands of hospitals listed under the scheme exist “only on paper,” and hospitals providing actual treatment are allegedly not compensated by the central government.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed these sentiments and claimed that the Ayushman Bharat is a “failed” scheme.
He further said poor patients from states like UP, Haryana and Rajasthan where the scheme was implemented, visited Delhi hospitals for surgeries.