Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav yesterday said the decision to shift RJD chief Lalu Prasad from AIIMS in New Delhi to a Ranchi hospital is part of a conspiracy to kill him.
“Lalu is not well, he is still seriously ill. I met him last week and saw his bad health condition. It is surprising why Lalu has been shifted from AIIMS to a Ranchi hospital. Everyone knows AIIMS is best for treatment for Lalu who is suffering from several serious diseases.
“Depriving him of proper treatment is part of a conspiracy to kill my father,” Tejashwi, a former deputy chief minister and younger son of Lalu Prasad, told the media here, adding that there was political pressure on AIIMS to deprive him of proper treatment.
“The RJD will go to the people’s court to say that Lalu has been denied proper treatment as part of a conspiracy by those in power in Delhi,” he said.
Tejashwi also tweeted: “The decision to shift Lalu from AIIMS to Ranchi hospital has been taken in haste. AIIMS is much better and I wonder why this decision has been taken. Only AIIMS authorities can reveal the reason behind the sudden transfer.”
Lalu was yesterday shifted to a Ranchi hospital for follow-up treatment – after he met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi at AIIMS where he was undergoing treatment for heart and kidney-related ailments.
Earlier Lalu blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he was told to leave AIIMS.
“My shifting from AIIMS to Ranchi hospital is under the pressure from the Centre. It is because of Modi that I was sent back there. It is entirely due to political rivalry,” Lalu told reporters as he was wheeled out AIIMS.
The RJD leader said shifting him back to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi was a conspiracy so that his health would deteriorate further. “I have been shifted to a place where there are no facilities. It is a tough time, but I will face it.”
However, AIIMS spokesperson B N Acharya said the decision followed the recommendation of a medical board set up for Lalu’s  treatment which found significant improvement in his health and that “he was discharged on Saturday” itself.
Acharya said in a statement: “The medical board met on April 28, reviewed his progress and decided he was fit to be discharged. However, due to his chronic problem of hypertension, diabetes and backache he was advised to be on regular follow up and management at RIMS Ranchi. He was therefore discharged on Saturday. However he requested to be kept in hospital as he wanted to travel on Monday.”
Some supporters of the RJD leader, annoyed over his “sudden discharge”, allegedly misbehaved with the hospital staff and even damaged the glass door of Cath Lab, resulting in injury to a security guard. AIIMS asked police to lodge a complaint.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi called on Lalu at AIIMS and had a half hour meeting with him.
Lalu, who was admitted to AIIMS on March 29 for treatment of heart and kidney related ailments, wrote in a letter to AIIMS director Randeep Guleria: “If I am sent from AIIMS to Ranchi medical college, in case of any danger to my life, sole responsibility will be on you all.
“Doctors should not take any decision under pressure from any individual or political party. Their first duty is towards complete recovery of the patient’s health. Till the time I am fully healthy, I should be kept here for treatment,” he added.
The RJD leader said he had backache, frequent dizziness and had fallen in the bathroom several times.
However, the hospital in a detailed statement said: “Lalu was referred from RIMS Ranchi with high blood sugar and infection. AIIMS constituted a medical board consisting of senior faculty members from department of medicine, surgery, cardiology, endocrinology and nephrology for his care.
“He was put on injectable antibiotics and then on oral antibiotics. His blood sugar was controlled and evaluation for cardiac and renal status was also done. He showed significant improvement. He had no fever and his antibiotics were stopped.”
Lalu Prasad was admitted to RIMS in Ranchi on March 17 following complaints of uneasiness when he was lodged at the Birsa Munda Jail where he is serving a jail term since December 23, 2017 in connection with the fodder scam.