Venugopal proceeds on leave, Ramadoss warns action

New Delhi/Chennai, June 16 (UNI) All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director P Venugopal proceeded on leave today even as Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss warned of action against him accusing him of having kindled the protests on reservation issue.

Dr Ramadoss, on the sidelines of a medical conference in Chennai, said, the issue should not be politicised as it was an ''internal matter of the Institute,'' adding ''I will be settling it soon after I reach Delhi on Monday.'' Dr Venugopal's had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday apprising him of the situation at the premier medical institute and threatening to resign due to alleged ''interference'' in day-to-day working of AIIMS and ''undermining'' of his authority by the Health Minister.

He had conveyed his ''displeasure'' to the Prime Minister over the ''systematic dilution of the institutes autonomy'' by the Health Minister.

Asserting that he was the President of the Institution, Dr Ramadoss, clarified ''I am not interfering in the day-to-day affairs of the AIIMS. The administration has not been proper for the past two years. I took some steps to set it right''.

Accusing certain AIIMS doctors of converting the prestigious institution into a ''political hub'', he warned of action against them. ''A handful of doctors of AIIMS are converting the institution of world repute into a political hub rather than letting it remain a medical hub and action will be taken against them,'' he said.

Coming out strongly in support of Dr Venugopal, doctors and students of the hospital had launched a signature campaign against the ''dilution'' of its autonomy by the Union Health Ministry.

They demanded that Dr Ramadoss be removed as AIIMS President and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) take direct control of the institute.

They alleged that the recent move of the Ministry to remove several senior functionaries, interference in day-to-day functioning of AIIMS and bypassing Dr Venugopal was a fallout of the anti-quota agitation.

They also demanded that AIIMS Dean Dr R C Deka, directly appointed by the Health Minister, be removed and Sub Dean Dr Neerja Bhatla, who was replaced by Dr Sunil Chumber, and spokesperson Dr Aarti Vij, who was replaced by Dr Shakti Gupta, be reinstated.

Terming the charges levelled by the AIIMS Director ''serious'', the BJP accused various UPA ministers of running the affairs like ''chieftains''.

''It was necessary that the nature of the premier institution, involved in health and medical education in the country, be protected,'' BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

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