Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Monday defended his decision to restrict

Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Monday defended his decision to restrict food packet distribution at the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital, alleging it was due to encroachment and obstruction of hospital functioning by private labs with vested interests. He rejected claims that this move banned food distribution, clarifying it aimed to remove banners and flags from government land. BJP and CPI(M) leaders criticized the decision, leading Muraleedharan to accuse them of protecting private lab profits. He stated no U-turn was taken on the policy after media coverage amplified the issue statewide.