Pradhan hits back at Rahul for targetting PM over Odisha Hospital

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday accused Congress president Rahul Gandhi of peddling "fake news".

Pradhan's response came after Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of fooling the people of Odisha over Rourkela Super Specialty Hospital.

Pradhan tweeted, ".@RahulGandhi's Fake News Factory manufactures a new lie.

Rs 200 crore has been allotted for the Hospital & DPR has been submitted, but when has Rahul ever bothered about facts!

After all kinds of scams, interesting to see a new scam in the form of fund-raising."

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi shared a video of the Prime Minister from April 1, 2015, where he promised to convert ISPAT General Hospital in Rourkela into a super-specialty hospital. The other half of the video showed a man by the name of Muktikanta Biswal having walked around 1300 Kilometres to meet the Prime Minister and remind him of his promise.

He also asked the public to lend their support to the man by donating money.

Gandhi in his tweet said, "On 1st April 2015 the PM played an April Fools' Day joke on the people of Orissa, as seen in this video. The Congress party has begun a fund raise to shame the PM into keeping the promise he made. Please contribute generously using this link: https://contribute.inc.in/fundraiser/Odishahospital

Muktikant, an idol-maker by profession, carried a national flag and set on the journey from Odisha on foot for the people in his village, who are still waiting for better medical and infrastructure facilities.

"I am going to meet the Prime Minister and request him to fulfill his promise of completing the construction of a bridge, and upgrade ISPAT General Hospital in Rourkela to a super specialty hospital," said Biswal.

On June 16 he fainted on the Agra Highway and had to be admitted to a hospital.