New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met ‘Yamaraj’ on a bus during his Kerala poll campaign and said ‘Yama’ was not particularly happy to see him or the other UDF leaders due to the alliance’s promised health insurance scheme, in what seemed like a promotional interaction.
Gandhi on Wednesday shared a video of his bus ride in Keralam’s Balussery a day earlier, during which he met a man who was dressed as ‘Yamaraj’. It seemed like a promotional interaction for the UDF’s proposed Health Insurance Scheme under which the alliance has promised Rs 25 lakh health coverage for every household in Kerala.
“Yesterday in Balussery, Keralam, I met Yamaraj on a bus. Unfortunately, he wasn’t particularly happy to see the other UDF leaders or me.
“UDF’s Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme promises Rs 25 lakh health coverage for every household — this is going to put Yamaraj out of work but we’ll find him another job soon,” the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said on X.
“Our mission is simple — no family in Keralam should ever have to feel the financial burden of a medical crisis. With Rs 25 lakh coverage, we’re ensuring that illness never robs a family of its dignity, its savings or its future. Healthcare is a right and UDF is here to make it real for every Keralite,” Gandhi said.
In the video, the mace-wielding ’Yamaraja’, the Hindu God of Death, tells Gandhi that he is out of work as people will live longer due to the Rs 25 lakh insurance scheme.
The UDF has pledged five Indira guarantees, including free travel for all women on Kerala state transport buses, monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to college-going girl students, and a hike in the welfare pensions to Rs 3,000 per month.
Besides these, it has also pledged the health insurance scheme in the name of former chief minister Oommen Chandy providing coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for each family, as well as interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh for small businesses.
The polls in Kerala are scheduled for April 9 and counting for the elections will take place on May 4.
