ABSTRACT
The editorial by Dr Sanjay Nagral on the AMRI fire does not, amongst other things, point out the complicity of politics (in this case of the CPI(M) party and the Left Front government) with the private sector (in this case, the private health sector). It also does not point out the neglect of the health sector (‘retreat of public health institutions’) during the three decades of CPI(M) rule. Both issues have been widely reported by the media. There is an underlying assumption in the current Left discourse that the privatisation of the health sector and the withdrawal of the public sector in health in India is a result of the LPG (liberalization-privatization-globalization) policy. Here is the example of both happening under the blessings of a Left government. This has got implications for social analysis.