NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, OCT 28
The Centre on Wednesday constituted the board of the upcoming AIIMS Madurai, but a row erupted over the appointment of a city-based doctor, accused of harassing an elderly woman earlier, with the Tamil Nadu opposition parties slamming the move.
Unbelievable action by Health Minister @drharshvardhan . Madurai Thoppur AIIMS gets Subbiah Shanmugam as member . kindly withdraw the order and remove him from the committee. How can Dr Harsh Vardhan justify when the harassment of women is still pending? #RemoveSubbiahShamugam pic.twitter.com/TWpXK93xEr
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) October 28, 2020
The opposition also questioned as to why not a single MP was appointed to the board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Madurai, even as a Congress MP wrote to the Centre seeking revocation of Dr Shanmugam Subbiah’s appointment from Tamil Nadu.
Wrote a letter to health minister @drharshvardhan demanding d immediate removal of sexual harasser Shanmugam subbaiah as a Member of #AIIMS board in Madurai.Subbaiah of ABVP had a case filed against him for urinating&masturbating in front of a woman house to harras her. pic.twitter.com/CxjCtcHUHV
— Jothimani (@jothims) October 28, 2020
In the notification published in a Central gazette, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced Dr V M Katoch, President, JIPMER, Puducherry will be the president of AIIMS, Madurai, slated to come up at Thoppur in that district.
‘Urinated’ at woman's door, Tamil Nadu ABVP Chief now on board of AIIMS, Madurai @arvindgunasekar reports pic.twitter.com/Pk4HIHTaJV
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 28, 2020
Other members include Dr Sudha Seshayyan, Vice Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Director General of Health Services (ex-officio), Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India or his/her nominee and Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu or his/her nominee.
Dr Pankaja Raghav from AIIMS Jodhpur, Dr V Vanajakshamma, Professor Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, Dr Prashant Lavania of Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, and Dr Subbiah, Professor and Head, Department of Surgical Oncology, Government Kilpauk Medical College and Government Royapettah Hospital, Chennai are the other members. No MPs were appointed to the board. Dr Subbiah’s appointment came under fire from opposition parties in Tamil Nadu.
மதுரை #AIIMS நிர்வாகக் குழுவில் தென்மாவட்ட எம்.பி.க்களுக்கு இடமில்லை; பெண்ணினத்தை அவமதித்த ABVP அமைப்பைச் சேர்ந்த நபருக்கு இடமா?
இதுதான் பாஜக 'பிராண்ட்' கலாச்சாரமா?
சுப்பையா சண்முகத்தை நீக்கிவிட்டு, எம்.பி.க்களைச் சேர்க்க @CMOTamilNadu பிரதமருக்கு அழுத்தம் கொடுக்க வேண்டும்! pic.twitter.com/XaFvEzoh2H
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 28, 2020
DMK president M K Stalin said Subbiah was a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s student wing.
In a statement, the Leader of Opposition alleged Subbiah was earlier accused of ”indecent act” outside a woman’s house following a reported dispute over parking of vehicle.
“This appointment shows the BJP is not worried about women’s dignity,” he said, adding, the Centre had ”insulted” Dr Seshayyan by appointing her also as a member in the board. Stalin urged Seshayyan to quit from the council.
“I urge Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to immediately remove Dr Shanmugam Subbiah” from AIIMS, Madurai, he said.
Also, with three positions under the MPs column left ”Vacant,” he said MPs from the state, especially from south Tamil Nadu, must be included in the board to “show respect to people”s representatives in democracy.”
He urged Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to write to the Centre on both issues.
In her communication to Harsh Vardhan, Karur Congress MP S Jothimani alleged Subbiah was caught on camera urinating outside the woman’s house, a charge denied by the doctor earlier.
“I strongly urge you to withdraw his nomination to this prestigious post and send a strong message to the women of the country,” that those harassing them will not be tolerated, she said in the letter.
MDMK founder Vaiko and Madurai CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan also slammed Subbiah’s appointment and wanted it to be revoked.
