AAP Attacks BJP Over BMW Crash In Delhi, It Hits Back
The death of a finance ministry official after his motorcycle was rammed by a BMW in Delhi has also become a political flashpoint, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP trading charges over emergency care.
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The BJP claimed the scheme had already failed during the AAP administration.
New Delhi:
The fatal collision involving a BMW that killed a finance ministry official on a motorcycle in Delhi has escalated into a political controversy, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) exchanging accusations regarding emergency medical care and funding allocation for accident victim treatment programs.
Navjot Singh, 52, a deputy secretary working in the finance ministry's department of economic affairs, lost his life in the incident. Singh and his wife, Sandeep Kaur, were traveling back from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara when their motorcycle was struck by a speeding BMW X5 near Delhi Cantonment metro station at approximately 1:30 pm on Sunday.
According to police reports, Gaganpreet Kaur was driving the BMW while her husband Parikshit Makkar was a passenger. The couple, assisted by a pickup van driver, transported Mr Singh and his wife to Nulife Hospital in GTB Nagar, about 19 km from the accident location. This choice has raised concerns, particularly since the hospital is partially owned by Gaganpreet Kaur's family.
AAP Criticizes Government Action
During a press conference, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the BJP-led administration in the capital and claimed that the situation was worsened by the discontinuation of the Farishtey Scheme, which was initiated in 2018-19.
"What's particularly distressing is that while many bystanders stopped after the accident, they only recorded videos. Nobody attempted to transport the injured couple to a hospital," he stated.
"Why were the victims taken to a distant small private hospital with inadequate facilities when several hospitals were in the vicinity? Why didn't any PCR or CATS (Centralised Accident and Trauma Services) ambulance arrive at a prominent location like Delhi Cantt-Dhaula Kuan?"
"Under the Farishtey program, accident victims in Delhi could be admitted to the nearest private hospital with the government covering treatment expenses up to Rs 50 lakh. However, after the BJP formed the government, they allocated no funds for the scheme in the 2025-26 Budget, effectively terminating it. Now, people are reluctant to take accident victims to private hospitals due to demands for deposits," he added.
BJP Responds
The Delhi BJP rejected these allegations, labeling them as "irresponsible."
"It's truly shocking to see AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj irresponsibly accusing the government without verifying facts in such a tragic case. Before connecting this to the Farishtey Scheme, Mr Bharadwaj should have realized that the couple wasn't transported to the hospital by police or a passerby, but by the driver responsible for the accident. Only an investigation will determine why she drove them to a distant hospital," said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Mr Kapoor further stated that the scheme had collapsed before the BJP took action.
"The Farishtey Scheme wasn't terminated by the BJP government. It failed in 2023 because the Arvind Kejriwal government didn't clear outstanding hospital bills," he alleged.