Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday charged the Delhi media with bias against him as he was from the ranks of most backward classes.
Embroiled in a controversy over the removal of Dr P Venugopal, AIIMS Director, Dr Ramadoss said, "Especially, journalists in New Delhi are concentrating on issues relating to the All India Institute of Medical Sceinces as I am from MBC."
He was speaking at a release of six books on Siddha medicine. Dr Ramadoss, who belongs to the Vanniyar community, which was listed as MBC, declined to elaborate on his comments on the media when he was approached by reporters.
"Whatever I said in the speech.... I do not want to comment more about it," he said.
Dr Venugopal moved the Supreme Court after he was removed from the post after a new bill was brought in by Dr Ramadoss fixing 65 years age limit for retirement of AIIMs directors.
Dr Ramadoss also attacked the opponents of his proposal to make one year rural service compulsory for MBBS degree, saying they are "enemies of villagers, those who oppose the scheme".
"The same persons who question me in Parliament on the shortage of doctors in villages, oppose the scheme in Tamil Nadu," he said in an apparent reference to the Left, DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu who backed the medicos strike against the proposal.
"First of all, students would be sent for rural service only after finishing house surgency, which makes them qualified for such postings and would be working only under senior doctors," he said, adding, the scheme was aimed at addressing the shortage of doctors in rural areas.
