State, Center Politics Over Arunima Sinha Tragedy
posted on Apr 19, 2011 @ 11:51AM
Arunima Sinha alias Sonu lost her leg after she was pushed out of the Padmavat Express near Bareilly by three men trying to snatch her gold chain when she was traveling to Delhi to appear for a CISF examination. She was lonely in her tragedy, but now politicians are making a beeline for Sonu and the cameras. The Railway Ministry, Union Ministry of Sports, UP Government - all are willing to extend help to the maimed volley ball player.
There's nothing unusual or uncalled for in helping out a fellow human being. But the way the politicians are trying to hog limelight from this tragic event is most disgusting. Sonu had undergone a second surgery at Lucknow's Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) on Sunday following an infection in the amputated limb. The surgery was carried out a day after she was shifted to Lucknow from the Bareilly District Hospital after her condition worsened. Besides an infected limb, her heamoglobin count had dipped because of excessive bleeding. UP chief minister Mayawati took the decision and got Sonu shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
But the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's move was influenced not by medical factors but was the culmination of a political tug of war between the state government and the Centre over Arunima's treatment. Apparently trying to scuttle the Congress party's plan to capitalize on the critical condition of the volleyball player, Mayawati took the decision exactly at the same time when Union sports minister Ajay Maken was speaking in Lucknow.
At first glance, the decision seems to have been driven by purely medical reasons. But what has prompted Mayawati to take the decision at the nick of the moment was Union sports minister Ajay Maken's visit to Lucknow. He met the ailing athlete and assured her family members that the sports ministry would take care of all her expenditure and there is no need to shift her anywhere else as she is being provided with the best treatment there itself. But Mayawati felt otherwise and got Sonu shifted to Delhi.
Sonu has a job at least on paper and her family is hopeful that the help will continue to pour in even when the cameras stop rolling. Albeit, she is now shifted to Delhi's AIIMS for better medical care and let's all hope for her speedy recovery.