NEW DELHI, December 20: The function was organised to felicitate both the former and present health ministers of Delhi and the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) managed to pack its hall with member-doctors in spite of the biting cold.But as doctor after doctor ran up to the podium, some BJP sympathisers in the DMA realised that it was only incumbent A.K. Walia who was getting all the garlands. So, other DMA members soon began garlanding both Walia and Harsh Vardhan, forcing the weary leaders to devise a strategy to take turns at receiving them.
The words that flowed after this garlanding session were, however, not all very pleasant. Harsh Vardhan, while saying that the biggest challenge before doctors today was rescuing their fallen reputation, regretted that liquor was being served with dinner.
That this had caused shock waves to run through the hall became clear when Walia's words on the subject drew an applause from the doctors. Walia, while winding up his speech, made it a point to say that it was very cold and everybody should enjoy the drinks. He added that doctors were professionals who were supposed to perform their work perfectly, whether they liked to drink or not was a matter of personal choice.
It seemed that most of the speakers, including Harsh Vardhan, had come armed with the fixed agenda of getting Walia to promise a quick passage of the anti-quackery Bill. The health minister, however, steered clear of the issue, taking care to do so in a lighthearted manner. He said that he could make promises only when he was sure of fulfilling them, adding that there would be a difference in the way he and the former health minister functioned especially as was single and free all day. He referred to his bachelor status again while stressing on the need for promoting family planning. The people, he said, could take him for an example: ``No family hain, no planning hain".
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