TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee during a road show ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections in Nadia district, West Bengal, Sunday, January 18, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday (Jan 21, 2026) claimed that if the West Bengal government implemented the Ayushman Bharat Centra health insurance scheme, more than 90% of the state’s population would be deprived of its benefits due to what he termed strict eligibility conditions.
Without directly referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent attack on the Trinamool government for non-implementation of the central system during his recent visit to the state, Mr. Banerjee said Bengal’s own Swasthya Sathi health program was open to all as it came without any strings attached.
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“They claim that the Mamata Banerjee government has blocked the Ayushman Bharat program in Bengal. I want to tell people that you would be excluded from this program if you own a smartphone or a television, a motorcycle, a radio, or even have a concrete roof over your head. These conditions have been fixed by the Modi government,” Mr. Banerjee said at Purkal Sabhrha Ranlya district in Purkal Sabulha Ranlya district.
“But Swasthya Sathi has no such conditions and hence its benefits are available to all,” he said.
Considered a BJP stronghold where the saffron camp won six of the nine assembly seats in the district in 2021, including the Kashipur constituency where Mr. Banerjee held a rally on Wednesday, the TMC leader claimed that the Mamata Banerjee administration did not differentiate between those who voted for the TMC and those who did not pay cash28 to all the people in health28 of Purulia lac.
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“If Bengal were to implement Ayushman Bharat, only 90 lakh of its 10 million people would qualify for the benefits of the scheme, leaving the remaining 9.1 million people in the dark. On the other hand, the Swasthya Sathi program is available to all 10 million people. Now tell me, which do you prefer, Ayushharathai or Syush?” added the leader.
During his BJP public meeting in Malda on January 17, where he outlined the party’s stand for the assembly elections likely to be held in April, Modi said the TMC had blocked the central health system because it “doesn’t care about the suffering of the people and is only interested in filling its own coffers”.
“Today, Bengal is the only state where the Ayushman Bharat scheme has not been implemented. The TMC government is preventing my brothers and sisters in Bengal from availing the benefits of the Ayushman scheme. It is necessary to say goodbye to such a cruel and heartless government from Bengal,” Mr Modi said.
Mr Banerjee said that the monthly cash incentive scheme ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ for women is being distributed to the beneficiaries, he alleged that the BJP has instead blocked the funds meant for the state’s poor and backward communities because it “couldn’t win elections here”.
“The BJP is currently ruling 15 states in the country. I urge this party to introduce an unconditional scheme like Lakshmir Bhandar for women in any of these states,” Mr. Banerjee said.
Mr. Banerjee, also the TMC national general secretary, vowed to address the governance issues raised by the electorate here “once Purulia delivers a 9-0 verdict in favor of the TMC” in the state polls.
“I have been briefed on the issue of rail connectivity in this district. I promise to take a 20-member delegation to the railway ministry within three months of the election results to express the demands of the citizens,” he said.
Mr. Banerjee also pledged to take responsibility for meeting local demands for improving health and civic infrastructure within six months of the elections.
Published – 21 Jan 2026 18:10 IST
