Lalu Prasad Yadav, despite being convicted for the fodder scam continues to break records as he has now become the ‘longest admitted patient’ to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. Ever since Lalu was convicted, he has spent almost the entirety of his jail term from one hospital to another despite having no serious health implications. The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has presented Lalu with yet another opportunity as now he has been shifted to a luxurious bungalow thereby becoming the first patient in the history of RIMS to be kept at the Director’s bungalow.
Lalu is enjoying his life of a convict at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for the last two years. While he continues to be treated there, there is no medical report or update regarding which disease is Lalu being treated for. The advent of the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand has proven to be a huge boon for Lalu as his party albeit with only 1 MLA is a part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand which has resulted in him getting umpteen facilities in the hospital, which indicates that the Jharkhand government has made a pack with Lalu.
The 72-year-old Lalu was lodged in the Birsa Munda Jail of Jharkhand since his December 2017 conviction. However, under the garb of health implications, he has been admitted to RIMS Hospital in Ranchi since August 2018.
In what reveals to the extent of VIP treatment meted out to Lalu, he was first placed in the Super Specialty Ward of the hospital, then he was shifted to the Paying Ward and since 5 August 2020 he has been at the RIMS Director’s Bungalow, thereby not only becoming the longest-serving patient at RIMS but also the first patient to be lodged at the directors’ bungalow.
Doctors at RIMS say that Lalu’s sugar level is now under control and his condition is better than before. In addition to diabetes, he has diseases related to heart and kidney. Regarding Lalu’s stay in the hospital for so long, the doctor says that as long as Lalu is in the hospital, it is the responsibility of the state government to take care of all his facilities.
Lalu continues to get VIP treatment at the hospital despite the fact that the doctors supervising the RJD leader have stated that his condition is stable and their only concern is that his sugar level remains maintained and kidney keeps on functioning well.
“His condition is stable right now as both blood pressure and sugar level are under control. We cannot say it very bad or very good,” said Dr Umesh Prasad.
Lalu’s continual flouting of the norms of his conviction has irked the legal experts who claim that he is making a mockery of the law. “It is nothing but a mockery of the law. Despite three judicial orders passed by Jharkhand High Court earlier in this regard, Lalu Yadav has shamelessly been lodged in Director’s bungalow,” said senior advocate in Jharkhand High Court Rajiv Kumar.
It is worth mentioning that till the time the BJP government was in Jharkhand; Lalu got the usual facilities in the hospital which any convicted person gets. After the Hemant Soren government assumed office in December 2019, Lalu’s fortunes changed, and now he is enjoying a luxurious life in the name of punishment. Lalu, who is living on the private ward and then the RIMS director’s bungalow, is getting all the 5-star facilities there, which is not available to any convicted person at all. He is also comfortably managing RJD’s Bihar election strategy from the comforts of the bungalow. BJP and JD(U) leaders have also asked that Lalu should be shifted back to Birsa Central jail which has adequate medical facilities for his treatment. “By shifting Lalu to a bungalow, the Soren government has made it easier for Lalu to meet ticket aspirants, who are making a beeline from Bihar. He has collected the biodata of over 200 ticket aspirants already. But it violates the prison norms,” said Shushil Modi, senior BJP leader.
It is pertinent to note that the distance between RIMS and Birsa Munda Central Jail is less than five kilometres which makes any emergency response, should Lalu ever need that, easily and quickly available, thereby leaving no excuse to be continued to live in the comforts of the hospital.
“In case of an emergency, the doctors could reach there within minutes or Lalu Ji may be shifted to RIMS easily. Again, it is impossible that in spite of expert doctors roped in for his treatment, he did not recover in the last two years,” said State BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha.
While Lalu has been paying a sum of Rs 1000 per day ever since he was shifted to the paying ward of the hospital, there is no fixed rent for any patient staying at the Director’s bungalow. Additionally, to ensure that Lalu doesn’t have to move an inch, the RIMS administration has also provided four attendants for him.
Lalu’s continual staying out of jail for so long without any medical report or update, enjoying 5-star facilities in RIMS, clearly shows that Lalu has full protection from the Jharkhand government and is making an absolute mockery of the law. It is paramount to make Lalu’s medical report public, which will end up exposing Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Hemant Soren government.
