T’puram/Kochi/Kozhikode: Health minister K Muraleedharan clarified that state govt will not oppose the distribution of pothichoru (free food packets) to patients and bystanders in govt hospitals but maintained that political activities and organizational branding would not be permitted on hospital premises. He added that his views were specific to the situation at Alappuzha Medical College and should not be interpreted as a general policy against voluntary organizations that distribute food.Muraleedharan said certain outfits had encroached on hospital premises in the name of food distribution, affecting development activities. “We oppose encroachment of hospital land, not food distribution. Food has no politics, religion or caste. Govt’s priority is to ensure that the poor get food. Who provides it is not the issue,” he said.His remarks came after his earlier comments on pothichoru distribution invited criticism from DYFI and BJP. DYFI said that it would continue its free food distribution programme regardless of the govt’s position, insisting that no minister’s permission was required for the initiative.On Saturday, the minister said govt was setting up a community kitchen at Alappuzha Medical College to provide meals to patients and bystanders and there was no need for political outfits to distribute ‘pothichoru’. Addressing the media in Pathanamthitta on Sunday, he said he was only outlining govt policy. “Community kitchens will provide food inside hospitals and govt will hold discussions with voluntary organizations soon on this matter,” he said, adding that political activities of DYFI, Youth Congress or Seva Bharati will not be allowed inside hospitals.In Kozhikode, state secretary V K Sanoj said DYFI had been distributing free meals to patients and bystanders in medical colleges, district hospitals and taluk hospitals in Kerala for 10 years and had never shown any discrimination. “People from all sections of society contribute food packets. DYFI volunteers collect and distribute them without asking anyone’s political affiliation. We have never mixed politics with this initiative,” he said.He argued that voluntary organizations across the world function under their names and identities and questioned why DYFI’s use of its flag on vehicles carrying food packets should be viewed as a political activity.CPM MLA P A Mohamed Riyas said attempts to create a controversy over DYFI’s pothichoru distribution must be avoided. He said health department should hold discussions with youth organizations instead of viewing such long-running voluntary initiatives, which enjoy wide public support, with hostility.Former BJP state chief K Surendran said there is no reason to view such voluntary and youth organizations through a political lens. He said it is important that the identity of those distributing the food is known as those providing the food have a responsibility to ensure that it is hygienic and does not harm those who consume it. He said community kitchen is unlikely to work as it had failed during the pandemic in Kerala. He also took a swipe at the minister, saying that if everyone who received free food had voted for those who distributed it, many leaders, including Muraleedharan, would never have entered the assembly .
