Will help people even if I face thousand PILs: Gambhir

New Delhi: Facing flak from the Delhi High court over distribution of Covid-19 drugs, BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday said he will continue to save the lives of people even if thousands of PILs are filed against him.

The court had on Monday directed the drug controller to inquire into the issue of politicians buying COVID-19 drugs in bulk amid shortages and observed that while Gambhir must have been distributing the medicines to the best of his intention, the gesture unintentionally did a disservice.

The East Delhi BJP MP said he did what he felt was necessary to serve the people and was ready to face any punishment. "The medicines I distributed were the need of that hour. Not one even if thousands of PILs are filed against me, I will continue to serve the people and try to save their lives," Gambhir said in a reply to a question at a press conference.

Gambhir said he will accept the court's decision and asserted he would do it again whenever such an occassion arrives.

"Questions should also be asked why medicines were not available at shops in Delhi and why there was shortage of hospital beds and oxygen. I joined politics to serve the people which is what I did," he said.

Gambhir has been involved in distribution of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and Covid medicine Fabiflu to people in his constituency. The Delhi Police under the court orders also sought his statement in this regard. "Gautam Gambhir must have done it with best of his intentions. We are not doubting his intentions. He has been a national player of our country. Our question is whether it is a responsible behaviour when you know the medicine is in short supply," the court observed.

"We are not doubting his intentions but the way he has gone about it, he has actually done a disservice, unintentionally may be.

This was not the way that you buy from the market so many strips, certainly not," the court said. Gambhir said he will do everything needed to save the lives of people and stressed that humanity is the greatest 'dharma' for him. The PIL filed by one Deepak Singh, sought lodging of FIR on the allegations that politicians were able to procure in huge quantity and distribute COVID-19 medicines even as patients were running from pillar to post to get them.

While the capital is already battling the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, delay in action against vector-borne diseases by the civic authorities could prove another challenge for the people of Delhi.

According to the Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCD), so far 25 dengue cases have been reported in the city, of which 2 cases of dengue were reported in February, 5 in March, 10 in April and as many as 8 cases have been registered till May 22. This is the highest number of dengue cases in the capital in the January-May period, since 2013. However, no death has been reported in the city due to dengue so far this year, civic authorities claimed.

Apart from dengue, as many as 8 cases of malaria and 4 of chikungunya have also been registered during the same period.