Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has claimed that the NDA government will set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in each state, but that seems a tricky affair in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's own Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

According to documents accessed by IndiaToday.in, Banaras Hindu University vice-chancellor Professor Lalji Singh, who initially supported upgradation of Sir Sundar Lal Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS-BHU) to the level of AIIMS, has made a surprise U-turn throwing a spanner in the works.

It is worth mentioning here that IMS-BHU serves as the lifeline for crores of people living in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and adjoining districts.

In February 2013, Prof. Singh wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) demanding the upgradation of IMS-BHU to the level of AIIMS. The V-C also wrote a similar letter to Planning Commission which responded positively to the demand.

After due consideration, the plan panel said in its office memorandum dated December 6, 2013, that "in the meeting, the Joint Secretary MoHFW (ministry of health and family welfare) mentioned that the ministry was willing to consider takeover of the IMS BHU under the umbrella of Amended AIIMs Act if BHU (agrees) to let the medical college out of its academic and administrative control to that MoHFW. The Joint Secretary concerned informed that MHRD (ministry of human resource development) has no objection to the transfer IMS to MoH&FW."

The letter which spelt a ray of hope for the long-cherished dream of an AIIMS at the BHU suddenly did not find favour with the V-C who had thus far been its biggest supporter. When he came to know that he will not longer have control over AIIMS, he turned down the proposal.

The plan panel memorandum dated January 10, 2014, blew the lid off this sudden change of mind. "The V-C has informed that BHU does not agree to this proposal," it said. Instead Prof. Singh suggested to the panel that a new AIIMS be set up, which of course would require many more years and a lot of resources.

Curiously, Prof. Singh had himself admitted in a letter to the PM that upgradation of hospital "will cost just one third of the present cost of creating a new AIIMs".

Dr Om Shankar, a cardiologist at BHU, said, "The V-C just wants to serve his vested interests. He suspended a group of doctors for supporting the demand for upgradation of IMS-BHU as AIIMS in March 2014 and never disclosed that he was against the AIIMS." Dr Shankar was himself part of that group of doctors suspended for the agitation.