“Insult to Atal Ji, Injustice to Jharkhand”: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Slams Renaming of Atal Clinics to Mother Teresa Clinics

Ranchi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey has strongly criticised the Jharkhand government’s recent decision to rename ‘Atal Mohalla Clinics’ as ‘Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinics’, calling the move a “condemnable act” and an insult to the legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Addressing reporters on Saturday, Dubey said: “There is no problem with Mother Teresa. She was a foreigner. This state was created by Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. If you want to do something in the name of Mother Teresa, do it separately. Erasing someone’s name to establish another’s name will not bring peace to Mother Teresa’s soul.”

He slammed the Hemant Soren-led government, accusing it of playing identity politics and deliberately undermining the contribution of Vajpayee, who was instrumental in the creation of Jharkhand in 2000.

“The state government has done a very wrong and condemnable act,” said Dubey, expressing outrage over what he called an attempt to erase Vajpayee’s imprint from the state’s development narrative.

Dubey didn’t mince words when he took a direct swipe at the Chief Minister: “From the activities of the state government, I can say that the Chief Minister is preparing to go to jail again…”

This is seen as a reference to the ongoing corruption probes and legal troubles faced by Hemant Soren and his government.

The move to rename the clinics has sparked a political storm in the state, with the BJP accusing the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of disrespecting Indian icons while the government has maintained that the new name reflects compassion and service in public healthcare.