Making a severe attack on the rival faction of the Kerala chapter of the Association of Ayurvedic Medical Association of India  (AMAI) for their allegations and false claims, the office-bearers of the AMAI have determined to fight further against the thriving quacks and practice by unqualified traditional healers of Kerala.

The charges and counter charges by the two groups in the association have flourished in the wake of the forthcoming election to the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), for which leaders of the two groups are contesting. The election is scheduled for July 28.

Following the rising faction feud, the official group in the AMAI has circulated a letter among its members as explanation to some charges levelled against its general secretary, Dr VG Udayakumar, by the opposite group through a news story published in Pharmabiz on April 26 this year. A copy of the AMAI letter, signed by the president, treasurer, legal cell convener and the editor of the AMAI journal, has been forwarded to Pharmabiz via email that reaffirms the fact that allegations from both sides have sprung up because of the impending CCIM election.

Earlier, the opposite faction of the association under the leadership of Dr V N Parameswaran Potty, a former professor of Ayurveda College at Thiruvananthapuram, had alleged that the general secretary of AMAI was supporting the political view of the then ruling party in granting permission to the traditional healers of Malabar area to practice Ayurveda and in favour of traditional healers. Another allegation was that in the meeting of the expert committee appointed by government of Kerala, Dr Udayakumar had favoured the decision of the former government raising section 17(3) of Indian Medicine Central Council Act and argued that exemption could be given to the traditional healers of northern Kerala.

Dismissing these charges as fraudulent and baseless, the signatories in the letter have stated that with the efforts of Dr V G Udayakumar, AMAI has strongly opposed the decision of the previous Kerala government in granting exemption to the fake traditional healers of northern Kerala from acquiring qualification and registration for practice. Besides, the letter says, the secretary has moved a resolution in the joint council of the Travancore-Cochin Medical Council (TCMC) wanting the government to withdraw the order issued on 21-2-2011.

According to the office-bearers of AMAI, Dr VG Udayakumar is strictly following the rules and regulations of the organisation and acting as per its policies. Further, they question the integrity of Dr V N Potty saying that he is not at all a member of the organisation. His intention is to destroy the organisation as he is a puppet in the hands of certain anti-organizational groups. In 2009, AMAI engaged Dr Potty file a suit in the court just for an alternate arrangement and the organisation met all the financial assistance for the court expenses. During that period, the present secretary was acting as the president of the organisation and the decisions were taken unanimously by the committee and not by Dr V G himself.

“Neither any other help the organisation received from him, nor did he do anything for the organisation. As general secretary, Dr V G is not acting against the spirit of the organisation, hence no action has been initiated against him so far. The association has the right to impeach any person who works against it. But it has full confidence in him,” it said.

The supporters of Dr V G said in the letter that the order of the former government had clarified that all applications along with the experience certificates issued by Tahsildars could be recommended by the registrar of Travancore-Cochin Medical Council. So the decision of the TCMC was very much important in the implementation of the GO. The very next day of issuing the order, Dr VG moved a resolution in the joint council of TCMC requesting the government to withdraw the order. “Dr Potty thought that it would be the last nail on Ayurveda. Actually it was the first blow to the government’s decision for granting exemption to the quacks’, the members favouring the general secretary said.

To other allegation that AMAI is neglecting private practitioners and supporting medical officers and college teachers, and also the leaders of the organisation are favouring ‘arishta’ lobbies, the letter argues that these are all mere propaganda eyeing the forthcoming CCIM election, for which the general secretary is also a candidate.

Regarding the formation of a new organisation by the rival faction, the letter says that it is impossible for Dr Potty and his supporters to float a fresh group as AMAI has emerged as the most powerful voice forAyurveda in Kerala.