Under fire for promising free vaccine for Covid-19 in election-bound Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the announcement should not be seen as a poll promise or a sop since it was intended to relay the party‘s commitment towards public health.
National general secretary and in-charge of Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav, said health is an important aspect of public policy and should be addressed in election manifestoes as well.
“If parties are allowed to talk about alleviating hunger and poverty, improving the lot of the farmers and offering jobs, why should they not talk about public health? It is an important aspect of public policy and should be addressed by all political parties in a reasonable manner,” Yadav said.
While releasing the party’s manifesto ahead of the three-phase assembly election beginning next week, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said as soon as Covid-19 vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale, every person in Bihar will get free vaccination.
The Opposition parties criticised the government for making free vaccination for Biharis a poll promise, alleging it was an election stunt. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP was mocking the people of Bihar.
{{/usCountry}}The Opposition parties criticised the government for making free vaccination for Biharis a poll promise, alleging it was an election stunt. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP was mocking the people of Bihar.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the Opposition’s charge and the comments on social media, Yadav said the announcement is not linked to elections, but signifies the party‘s vision to address challenges. “At present, there is no bigger challenge than finding a vaccine and controlling the spread of Covid-19. Issues such as Swachhata (cleanliness), women’s empowerment, economic inclusion and public health should be addressed political parties. It is in keeping with this that we have announced that we will increase the number of self-help groups for women in Bihar to over a crore, we want to offer technical education in Hindi for bridging the gap between the economically deprived and those who have the advantage of English medium schooling,” he said.