'Ayushman Bharat impractical, not for Delhi residents,' says AAP leader Sanjay Singh

New Delhi: The Ayushman Bharat scheme would not benefit "a single resident" in the national capital due its eligibility criteria, the AAP said on Tuesday, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the Delhi and West Bengal governments for failing to implement the health insurance scheme out of "political interests."

Modi Tuesday said he was disappointed with the state of free healthcare for the elderly in the two states and called it a missed opportunity to serve the senior citizens.

Addressing a public gathering at New Delhi's All India Institute of Ayurveda, Modi said, "I apologise to all the elderly aged above 70 years in Delhi and West Bengal. I hear your pain, but due to the state governments' decisions, I cannot help you." In response, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh dismissed the scheme as impractical.

"If you own a refrigerator, a motorcycle, or have an income above Rs 10,000, you cannot avail of Ayushman Bharat benefits," Singh argued.

He said the scheme was "one of the biggest scams in BJP-led states," and called for an analysis of data from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to uncover the alleged fraud.

Modi Tuesday launched development projects worth over Rs 12,850 crore on the occasion of Ayurveda Day and the birth anniversary of Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine.